Spirits of the Past
by RosieB
Summary: *COMPLETE - EPILOGUE HERE* Please give me 100 reviews! Please? After the excitement is over... want a sequel? Then... Review people! This story has everything: murder, betrayal, love, hate, magic and evil.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here, not even the ones with strange names. They're usually obscure mythological figures and belong to others.  
  
A/N: This is not my first fic but it is my first attempt at a Laby fic. Be kind.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Prologue:  
  
She giggled to see her husband leaning over the cradle, cooing to the newborn. No matter how powerful a man was, she mused, his precious children could bring him to his knees. Especially this one.  
  
It had been a fluke, she admitted that, but it was the most wonderful fluke she had known in her three thousand year existence. The first baby in their home in almost six hundred years. She had thought she had been past her childbearing years but she reflected that that had been foolish. When one was immortal, how could you have such limitations?  
  
Her king straightened up and she looked at that chiseled face that was so characteristic of the fae. He arched an eyebrow at her and she realized that she was still wearing a goofy smile. She walked over to him and gave him a little kiss. Even after more than two thousand years of marriage, she still loved him deeply. Her graceful form turned to the cradle.  
  
"Our daughter will be the heir to our kingdom, won't she?"  
  
A cloud passed over her husband's face and she knew what he was thinking. Their other children, while cordial and generally well behaved towards one another, were in an unspoken competition to gain their parents favor, and their thrones. It was very distressing to them. Ten children, how could a parent chose? In the end, the king had decided to give his throne to the one most untouched by the contest, the one with the most virtue and generosity.  
  
"If she proves herself to be worthy of such a responsibility, then yes, I suppose she will be."  
  
"Won't our eldest son, Tyr, be angry that his birthright has been robbed of him?"  
  
Her husband gave a little laugh, "Tyr has more sense than that my dear. You know as well as I do that birthright is not very important to immortals. Besides, he's usually busy in Scandinavia. You know, the whole thing is really unnecessary because we are immortal."  
  
The queen gave him a stern look, "It's possible for us to die, or do you forget that your father died to give you the throne?"  
  
He nodded solemnly. The fae did have their weaknesses. Iron, thank goodness, was not one of them, as many mortals believed but there were some…  
  
He placed his hand next to his daughter and she wrapped her own around his finger.  
  
"My little princess… I hope you will never go through what I did to obtain a throne."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The baby snuggled into her blanket as a figure stole into the nursery. As it closed in on the sleeping child the moonlight fell across its face. Anyone who saw it would not believe it was the face of a fifty-year-old man. He looked more like he was twenty with his dark eyes, smooth skin and raven black hair. Of course, in the fae world, fifty was nothing. A mere child, just like the one lying before him.  
  
Wrapping the heiress in a blanket, he paused to marvel at his situation. Here he was, Lemures, the scorned, "worthless" fae, kidnapping the most powerful creature of his society. Someday this child would rule the world and, if everything went according to plan, he would be ruling with her. He snickered at this thought. They wouldn't be ruling together for long; he would find a way to usurp all of the power.  
  
Grinning wickedly, Lemures transported himself and the tiny baby to a small town in America. No one would come looking for a missing fairy here. Just in case though, he placed a powerful magic-dampening spell on the girl. He couldn't risk her discovering her powers before it was time, before he came to take her back to her own world.  
  
He stepped into the hospital. Invisible, he walked to the delivery wing. As soon as Lemures entered the hallway he heard the wailing of a heartbroken woman begin.  
  
"NO! NO! MY BABY!"  
  
Her husband was trying to hold his wife back as the doctors tried unsuccessfully to revive the stillborn child (A/N: yes, I know it's awful, I couldn't help it, sorry). Lemures, still invisible, leaned on the doorframe and smiled at the sight of such suffering. Then he shrugged and snapped his fingers. Immediately, the stillborn baby was in his arms and the princess was with the doctors.  
  
Ten minutes later, the thunderstruck doctors handed a crying little girl to the overjoyed mother.  
  
"We don't understand it, Mrs. Williams, but here is your daughter. She seems to be in perfect health."  
  
Lemures lounged out. He had to prepare for the panic in the royal palace when Titania and Oberon discovered that their child was missing.  
  
"See you soon, little princess."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Well, that's the prologue folks. I'll be writing this one for awhile… I'm warning you right now, it's a rather complicated plot. Any suggestions are welcome.  
  
Oh! And now that you've read the prologue you might be curious to know that while Oberon and Titania are merely fictional characters created by Shakespeare, the Scandinavians did really believe in a war god named Tyr. Lemures is a Greek spirit – but I'll tell you more about him later. And I want to give credit where it is deserved… I'm far from the first one to think of including ancient gods and goddesses as part of the fae. Several others have already claimed that. Obviously, they aren't supposed to be gods in my story, simply revered fae.  
  
Enough babbling… R/R! Please! 


	2. Phantoms

A/N: Here you are kiddos! The first chapter! I know it's a bit strange but at least it's unique. Enjoy!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 1:  
  
200 years after Sarah has defeated the Labyrinth: (A/N: No, that's not a typo)  
  
The goblins tumbled about the throne room. Jareth was trying his best to ignore them, but they were wearing on his nerves very quickly. But instead of transporting every last one of them to the Bog he just concentrated on the crystal before him even harder.  
  
He knew she was dead, long dead. Only weeks after her victory over Jareth the crystal had shown her death. Walking away from the park where he had first seen her, Sarah had wandered into the road with that far-away look she had so often. As he thought of that day, Jareth squeezed his hand over the crystal and shattered it easily. "Drunk drivers they call them," he hissed softly, "they should be labeled as vicious, lethal monsters."  
  
He had no soul anymore; it had been killed with her. Now, he simply did not care about anything. The Labyrinth, despite the best efforts of the goblins, was falling into disrepair. After two hundred years, it was a sorry sight indeed.  
  
He sighed and a single tear slid down his cheek. Even though he knew it was self-torture, he began asking himself "What if…?" Maybe if he hadn't been so mocking, or cruel, or maybe she simply did not want him. Jareth shuddered at the thought.  
  
The king fought his exhaustion and tried to get up. He sighed again; he was losing his energy and his will to live. Surrendering, he snapped his fingers to transport himself to his destination. The only place he felt alive.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Soft music played and he waltzed across the floor, holding his arms as if someone was there to occupy them. A faint, sad smile flitted across his face as Jareth remembered Sarah's dream. She had been so beautiful and pure. Even though he knew Sarah was his enemy at that point, there had been a moment there, a brief moment while dancing, that he saw love in her countenance.  
  
And then she had pushed him away. And ran from him.  
  
But that one moment… Jareth chose to hold onto it as he swayed back and forth, singing along with the quiet violins in the background.  
  
Someone cleared their throat.  
  
The Goblin King spun around, furious that one of his minions had dared to trespass on a display of his innermost feelings. He almost ripped the intruder to shreds, but then saw his visitor's face. He practically choked on his words.  
  
"Titania!"  
  
The beautiful woman smiled. She was clothed in materials that were not of this world and had a crown of rubies and sapphires. She glowed naturally, warmth and wisdom emanating from her. How sad that one so gorgeous inside and out had to have such a stressing life. Jareth had not seen her in close to four hundred years, yet he could see the pain in her eyes; the pain that, according to other fae, had appeared when she lost her daughter. He didn't have too much time to ponder this though. She was his queen and manners dictated that he immediately show her the respect she deserved.  
  
He bowed low and put on his most charming smile. "Truly, your Majesty, this is quite an honor, to be in the presence of such a vision of loveliness… what may I do for you?"  
  
The fae queen almost laughed at Jareth's antics. "You always were a charmer, Jareth, but actually my visit is simply to give you this." She handed him an envelope with a royal seal on it.  
  
Jareth allowed his eyebrow to arch slightly. "Forgive me, your Majesty, but may I ask why you are playing messenger today?"  
  
Titania gave him a sly smile, "It's simply an important document my dear. You know how rarely marriages happen among the immortals. And it's even less often that we have one of this importance."  
  
"Who is to be married milady?"  
  
She gave a small laugh, "That is what is to be decided. All you must do is follow the invitation's instructions and you will be fine. See you in a month, Jareth."  
  
He bowed again to his sovereign.  
  
"Oh, and Jareth?" Titania said before disappearing.  
  
"Yes, your Majesty?"  
  
"That was beautiful music. You have a wonderful voice." She smiled and disappeared in a cloud of glitter.  
  
Jareth stared at the space his queen had occupied for a moment. Then his eyes strayed to the parchment in his hand. He tore the seal open.  
  
  
  
Her Majesty, the Queen Narcissa requests your presence at a festival in honor of her marriage at her castle, beginning on the next full moon  
  
Jareth folded the paper back up thoughtfully. He had heard of Queen Narcissa. Her beauty was incomparable and her kindness was the source of the love her subjects had for her. She was the youngest daughter of Oberon and Titania. After her elder sister's disappearance, her parents decided to protect her for the first fifty years of her life. Narcissa was kept under constant surveillance until she had magical abilities that surpassed Jareth's. And she had been trained in mortal defense too: sword fighting, martial arts, and hand-to-hand combat just in case. Even after so many years, no one had figured out if a mortal or fae had kidnapped her older sibling, Laeli. As a result, Oberon took extra precautions with his most precious, youngest child.  
  
Might as well go, Jareth reflected. It had been, after all, four centuries since he saw all of his family and fellow courtiers.  
  
He turned to look at the ballroom again and waved his hand, ever so slightly. An image of Sarah appeared. Another wave and a replica of himself showed up. Like a puppeteer, Jareth manipulated the pair into dancing a complicated waltz.  
  
"Dearest Sarah… I love you…" he whispered, unaware of the eyes watching him. The phantom presence nodded once and disappeared. Jareth removed his own image and walked over to the lovely, frozen girl. He knew that should he want to touch her, his fingers would go right through the apparition in front of him. Instead he bent towards her and put his mouth next to her ear.  
  
"You have power over me, Sarah."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
There ya go… the first chapter. I hope you like it! Next time, we meet some of the other fae. I told you this wasn't a typical story. ; ) 


	3. The Royal Family

A/N: Nothing to say except that I hope you're enjoying it so far!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
Queen Narcissa looked at her son. He returned the stare. Finally, he could take it no more.  
  
"Mother, why do you insist on marrying again?"  
  
The queen sighed, "I cannot rule without a king. It is the law."  
  
"But you've been unmarried for twenty-five years, since Father died," protested Oros.  
  
Narcissa shrugged, "It is the grievance period allowed to me. The twenty- fifth anniversary of your father's death is in a week, the day our 'festival' begins." She said this with a touch of irony. Her husband, although she had not loved him romantically, had been her best friend. She would rather remember this anniversary in solitude.  
  
"Almost every eligible dignitary has responded. Fae and mortal alike. Kings, dukes, princes… even a few knights and common lords," he paused, "You wouldn't really consider marrying someone below your rank, would you, Mother? Especially a mortal!"  
  
"Child, you have much to learn about mortals. They aren't that bad."  
  
Oros crossed his arms and looked sternly at his mother. Narcissa gave a weak smile, "You look so much like your father when you do that."  
  
"You're changing the subject, Mother."  
  
Narcissa shook her head, "No, I'm not… I'm ending the discussion. I will marry whomever I deem worthy. Even as my son, you will not have a say in it."  
  
With a flounce of skirts, the queen turned and went in search of her head servant. There was much to prepare.  
  
Oros frowned. Suddenly, he felt a hand upon his shoulder. Spinning around, he found himself looking into the face of his fellow fae, Lemures.  
  
Lemures gave a feral grin. "What's wrong, Oros? Don't want Mommy marrying again?"  
  
The prince furrowed his brow. He just didn't… trust Lemures all that much. He did not understand why. Probably because of his condescending manner, despite the fact that he had no right to be like that. But obviously, his disdained relative was not going to leave until he got an answer.  
  
"It's not so much that… it's who she is considering. Mortals! And people below her rank! I mean, I'm aware she did not exactly love my father… it was an arranged marriage after all. And she was only fifty. But mortals?"  
  
Lemures nodded solemnly, and then another of his menacing smiles crossed his features.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jareth wandered among the throng of guests. Maybe coming to this party had been a mistake. The number of people was overwhelming. And he wasn't able to kick them out of his way here.  
  
He just wasn't comfortable. As he turned to go out on the terrace, everyone became quiet. In the enormous ballroom, the silence seemed out of place. Jareth glanced up to the top of the stairs that led down into the ballroom. Someone was standing there.  
  
Actually, it was three people. Jareth moved to his right to get a better view. A handsome young man stood between two graceful, lithe women. All three had gold circlets and magnificent clothes on. He felt movement by his elbow.  
  
Jareth turned to see Yamraj. "You've certainly come a long way," he commented to the Indian fae.  
  
Yamraj shrugged, "It is worth it."  
  
Motioning to the three strangers still standing atop the stairs, Jareth gave Yamraj a questioning look.  
  
"The boy is Prince Oros, heir to this kingdom. The taller girl is Princess Keziah, the eldest child. On the other side, is Princess Giselle, the twin sister of Oros and last in line for the throne. But none of them are of much importance tonight. Although I'm sure they will have to deal with young people, eager to further their political careers by marriage, it is the queen who is the 'prize' of this festival."  
  
By now, Oros and his sisters had taken their places at the bottom of the stairs. Even Yamraj fell silent when the next figure appeared in the doorway.  
  
Jareth gasped.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: I'm cruel, I know. Questions? Comments? R/R!  
  
By the way… (another names info thing): Yamraj was the Hindu god of the dead. Oros is a name I made up (sorta)… it means "mountains." I thought it was a good strong name for a prince. Keziah and Giselle are just obscure girls' names, although there is an extremely tragic ballet named "Giselle." 


	4. Tricks

A/N: Nothing to say except enjoy! And all the usual disclaimer stuff. (Goodness, I WISH I owned David Bowie…)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 3:

She was gorgeous. A vision of perfection. Jareth mentally kicked himself for staying away so long.

Queen Narcissa stood at the entrance, scanning the crowd. Her red hair was swept up into an elegant coif of ringlets, although a few strands had escaped onto her creamy complexion. She was wearing a gown of gold that had touches of red in it. Her gloves came up above her elbows and her crown was similar to her children's except that it had a blood red stone hanging onto her smooth forehead. She smiled graciously and descended the stairs and across the room, to the thrones. Narcissa surveyed the guests again and then settled into her chair.

The orchestra began playing a slow waltz and dignitaries of all levels came onto the floor to dance.

Oros leaned over to his mother, "Quite a good turnout."

"I suppose so. I just wish I didn't feel like a piece of meat on display."

The prince nodded. His mother did not usually give into ridiculous, old-fashioned rules like this. Especially if it made her uncomfortable. He turned back to the queen, "What do you get out of this?"

Narcissa looked at him in surprise, "Whatever do you mean child?"

"It's so unlike you to consent to a gathering like this. I was wondering what their Majesties, Titania and Oberon, promised you for performing at this," he did not intend to sound so rude and judgmental. He was concerned, but Oros quickly saw he said the wrong thing.

A cloud passed over Narcissa's face as she hissed, "You are _not_ to talk to me as if I were a spy or some other lowlife."

Oros hung his head, but was saved from further admonishment as the waltz ended and the queen stood up. Apparently, it was time for her welcoming speech.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jareth finally escaped the naiad who had entrapped him and now stood toward the stairs, opposite of the room from the lovely queen. He must not show his weakness for the enchanting creature.

A dull whispering echoed through the great hall. Perhaps the cryptic invitations would be explained now.

The Goblin King saw Narcissa take a deep breath.

"Welcome, all! I hope you have enjoyed your first evening at my home so far. It is now time to enlighten all of you to the purpose of this little festival. As you already know," Narcissa paused and fought back a tear that was threatening to show, "my husband, Thor, died almost twenty-five years ago. As law requires, I must have a new husband soon after this anniversary comes. So that is why all you fine young men are here today. Considering I am not a child anymore, I have decided to choose my own spouse. During the next two weeks, you will be in a competition for my hand in marriage."

The room buzzed. A competition! How exciting! Only the 'contenders' looked a bit pale. They were not aware they had to compete against such a multitude of other suitors.

Narcissa continued, "This is not a normal competition. You will have no prior knowledge of my challenges. Occasionally, you will not even be aware you are being challenged. My best advice in this regard is to always be on alert. In one fortnight, I will choose the most worthy man based on his performance during the trials. I will not pick my future husband based on his capability with magic, if I pick a fae at all. I will decide on the one that is most capable and who impresses his value upon me the most. Tomorrow and every night, the suitors will present themselves to me. If you wish to drop out of the competition, simply decline to present yourself the next night. Very well. Make yourselves at home and let the games begin!"

She stepped down from the dais and proceeded to walk across the room to the enormous French doors at the side of the ballroom. She needed fresh air. Before the hoards starting crowding her. As it was, the potential suitors were standing in shock, unaware that their 'prize' was moving among them. The guards at either side of the doors nodded, letting Narcissa know they would not allow anyone to intrude on her privacy on the veranda.

The air was cool against her skin and the queen shivered. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted that the servant girl was preparing the kitchens for the next two weeks of constant baking. The girl, dressed simply in a white frock that was dirty from her hard work looked up to see Her Royal Highness. She curtsied across the courtyard and Narcissa gave a warm smile in return. The young thing scurried inside, happy to have such an honor bestowed on her.

"Beautiful night," came a soft whisper.

"Puck! You startled me!" Narcissa shrieked.

The trickster gave a wide grin, "Evidently." Puck's lean figure was very striking in the green outfit he wore. His white-blond hair was short against his pale skin, which contrasted sharply with his dark brown eyes. When he became angry, they even turned black. He was the most important fae besides the members of the royal family and enjoyed milking it for all it was worth. Of course, this included gaining passage past guards and scaring heirs to the fae throne.

Narcissa gave him a hug. He was such a strange person, even for a fae, but she had learned to deal with it. She was one of the few though; many people saw King Oberon's assistant as a meddlesome nuisance. 

She sighed.

"Narcissa?"

The queen gave her best friend a sympathetic smile, "I don't want to marry again, Puck. I'm perfectly capable of running everything on my own. I have been for the last twenty -five years. I don't even have a kingdom, just this castle and its property. I'm a queen of nothing. It's only a title."

"Yeah," Puck cut in sarcastically, "A title that names you as the next in line for Oberon's throne." The queen had been chosen as the heir when she was only seventy-five years old. Or rather, her husband had been chosen. She was just a girl, in the minds of the elder fae; her husband would rule in her place. 

Narcissa glared at him, "And what does my father do that is so important? I know, I know. Look after the other fae. Well, what do they do? 'Look after' the mortals, who are perfectly capable of providing for themselves. That or they wreak havoc."

She sighed again, "I'm sorry. I'm just so frustrated at this 'get married quick' thing they've forced me to host. Just because some old book of laws says I have to get married again…" she looked up at Puck, "You know who everyone expects me to pick right?"

The fae hesitated. "Yes…" he said slowly.

The queen laughed, "Don't worry my old friend, I do not expect you to marry me just because some old gossips want it to happen. I know full well you like being single… I would like to ask one favor though."

Puck arched his brow, "And that would be?"

"Stay close. Just in case…" she laughed again, "Would you consider being my last resort? Because all of these men could be idiots."

The trickster bowed deeply, "I would be honored to be your last resort, Your Majesty."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Now, R/R! Please! (And there's Puck for you – although this was already written - to whoever asked J )

Thank you to all who have reviewed: deleria, Emerald the Lady Destiny, Mickey, dawn, Silver Space (especially for reviewing every chapter so far!), Kes, JupLuna and star0704. And special thanks to my beta reader, Baloo. 


	5. Decisions

A/N: I have a feeling this is going to be my longest fic.  
  
Disclaimer: The usual. Read: I have no money. Ha…  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 4:  
  
Puck and Narcissa walked back into the gigantic room arm in arm. They tried to ignore the whispers as the crowd parted. Frustrated, the queen took her leave of Puck and went to her mother.  
  
Titania opened her arms to her daughter, "My child, you look enchanting." The same went for the elder woman. Her hair was darker red than Narcissa's and her brown eyes glittered with youth. For such an old fae, she certainly kept her appearances up.  
  
"Thank you, mother," Narcissa responded as she hugged the faerie queen.  
  
"Putting up with gold diggers already?"  
  
The despairing redhead nodded, "And I know it will get worse."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jareth watched the exchange from a distance. He could see the young queen was greatly distressed. Now was not the time to introduce himself. He would only be one among a blur of suitors.  
  
"Excuse me," a woman at his shoulder murmured as she moved past. Jareth frowned as she walked over to Titania and Narcissa. Her black hair was piled on top of her head, exposing a simple green gown.  
  
"She barely looks as if she has the rank of a Lady, much less a Duchess or Princess. What gives her the right to walk up to such important queens like that?" he muttered, "Probably is a naiad or dryad, they never did have much sense or manners."  
  
He still had not decided whether to present himself as a suitor or not. The indecision was making him irritable. The Goblin King gave a little growl of annoyance as he looked at the queen. She certainly was beautiful. Her movements reminded him of another young lady, one that had captured his attention two hundred years ago. Which presented another problem, how could he forget Sarah so easily? She had occupied his thoughts for two centuries and Jareth was unsure whether Narcissa was just another girl that would disappoint him because she was not Sarah. He would hate to go through this ordeal and get married, only to become bored with his new wife. But she was beautiful…  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
His eyes looked lovingly at her. She was so delicate and graceful. So innocent and yet so powerful… As she danced, he thought of how much he loved her…  
  
Other eyes were upon her… They looked deadly, he was sure their owners would kill without a thought. He must protect her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jareth shot up in bed. His breathing came in short and ragged. What a nightmare… He usually dreamt of Sarah's death but never in such a frightening way. This time she had died right in his arms. How terrifying to see her gaze become so cold and dead.  
  
He shook himself. "What are you doing to yourself!" he admonished quietly, "Two centuries! It's ridiculous!"  
  
The king slowly got out of bed and opened his drapes. Instead of a view of the Labyrinth, he saw an expanse of beautiful forest. He preferred the Labyrinth and admonished himself again for accepting the invitation to stay at Narcissa's castle.  
  
"Tonight I will present myself as a suitor," he whispered, "and I will win the queen's hand. And… I will forget about Sarah. It is the only way I can survive."  
  
There was a knock at the door. Wrapping himself in his robe, Jareth went to answer it. A servant girl stood there, and informed the King that breakfast would be served in one hour in the dining hall.  
  
Without even saying thank you, Jareth closed the door and proceeded to prepare for the contest.  
  
"And I will win," he said through gritted teeth.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Short chapter, I know… well if you REVIEW then I'll get the next one up as fast as possible. Promise.  
  
Forgot to say (for the few people I know that want explanations of myths and such)… Narcissa is one of my own characters, although there is that myth about Narcissus – the man who fell in love with his reflection and became a flower after wasting away. Weren't the Greeks cheery people? 


	6. The Hunt

1 Disclaimer: You know the drill…  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 5:  
  
Narcissa allowed her handmaid to slip her dress over her head. The forest green riding gown was perfect for the hunt she was going on in a few moments. The first test would take place on the outing and the delicate queen was nervous. Wearing the fine-spun silk made her feel better but her thoughts still floated back to the ninety-two men that had presented themselves to her last night. The last one had particularly stood out; a fae named Jareth. Her advisors had leaned over to her and whispered that this was the first time he'd officially presented himself anywhere in the fae society in four hundred years. His stunning good looks had counteracted the shock of Lemures introducing himself as a suitor.  
  
She shuddered to think about such a vile man being with her the rest of her immortal life. Thank goodness Puck had also appeared before her, giving a strange smile that only Narcissa could interpret. They could both already picture the gossips of the court announcing that Puck would win.  
  
The queen slipped out of the room and eventually glided into the stables.  
  
Walking to the corner stall, Narcissa beckoned the creature within.  
  
"Hey there, Everdark," she cooed to the jet-black stallion. The graceful creature looked at her and stamped its hoof. He knew his queen wanted to escape the castle, and that he would be with her.  
  
Narcissa sensed her horse's anticipation, "Not today, love. This morning, after breakfast, we're going on a hunt, with all the men who wish to have me as their prey."  
  
Sighing, she kissed the creature's muzzle and walked out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jareth was distinctly uncomfortable. He didn't normally ride horses, preferring the dramatic sudden appearance. He enjoyed hunting; it was probably the predatory owl within him that liked it so much, but he never did it while riding.  
  
Looking over to the queen, he could see that she did, quite often. Narcissa carried herself with beauty and poise. She resembled the gorgeous Amazonian women of ancient Greece, especially with her long bow and finely crafted arrows in her quiver. The lady was definitely a natural.  
  
The hunting party was amazingly quiet, considering it numbered over a hundred. Soon, they would come upon the small clearing, where they would be separated into groups of about ten each and then go in different areas of the forest. Every man's heart was pounding; they wished fervently that they would be so lucky as to get paired with the young queen, the only lady on the expedition.  
  
The royal huntsmen stopped ahead and Jareth saw that they had already arrived. Quickly, the group was split into their smaller clusters. One huntsman would accompany each cluster and they were to meet in the clearing one hour before sunset. Their kills would grace the tables tonight at the ball.  
  
Jareth sighed; he was getting tired of these nightly dances already. He didn't know if he could survive the next two weeks.  
  
He heard a throat clear and looked up to see the other parties leaving, his own waiting for him to come out of the dream world.  
  
"I trust you are ready your Highness?" questioned Narcissa. Jareth could not believe his luck, and apparently the other young suitors could not either.  
  
He nodded, looked around and then at the queen, "Where is our huntsman, your Majesty?"  
  
Narcissa sighed, "As I was just explaining to your companions, King Jareth, I am the leader. I might be a woman but my husband, may he rest in peace, took me hunting frequently and many a huntsman has admitted my superiority in skill." She paused, "Of course, I have had a longer time to practice than those mortals. Come, let's go. And please be quiet, I have guests to feed." This was not entirely true, the castle had plenty of food, but Narcissa was thankful the men took this order seriously.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The arrows lay untouched in Narcissa's quiver. She did not intend to hunt today. As for the others in her party, they were practically hysterical with the desire to win this challenge.  
  
"Exactly what I want," thought Narcissa gleefully. This was not a test of skill but of patience and self-control. Her other huntsmen would be watching their parties and reporting to the queen tonight. It had been six hours since starting out and Narcissa knew that her suitors were only seconds away from their breaking points.  
  
She took a tally of the kills. All of the gentlemen had shot at least one deer, except for three of them. A young king named Ion, an Egyptian fae called Sobek, and the fascinating King Jareth. These three had killed two deer each. Glares were ever present among the group.  
  
A deer appeared in the distance, through the shrubbery. It was about one hundred yards away but Narcissa knew that would not stop the men. Sure enough, arrows flew through the air and into their mark. The group rushed forward to find their prey.  
  
The small doe was already dead, pierced through the heart. It had two arrows in it. The queen gave a small smile and turned to witness what was coming next.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Narcissa rode into the palace courtyard, leading the one hundred miserable, dirty and exhausted men. The queen was positively glowing. Her first test had been an enormous success. Every hunting party had had a fight over their kills. No one had been hurt physically but the men's pride had been seriously damaged. Getting caught in embarrassing squabbles in front of the woman one is trying to impress was not good.  
  
Despite the general humiliation, Narcissa grudgingly admitted that a few had passed the test. Looking behind her, she could see the amused faces of the men who were 'winning' this contest so far. About twenty apparently, as they were the only ones who were clean and enjoying themselves. Including the three men from her own group; Ion, Sobek and Jareth. It had been unnerving to have Jareth sit there impassively watching the brawl beside her. Like he was used to it. He had barely blinked when the others launched themselves at each one another.  
  
She would have to watch him closely.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
That night, fifty-three suitors presented themselves. Narcissa smiled widely. They were excluding themselves already. "This will be easier than I thought," she muttered to herself.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: A bit longer but I hope you enjoyed it. Ion and Sobek are not mine; Ion is a Greek figure, the good son of Apollo and a queen named Creusa and Sobek is an Egyptian god.  
  
Although it would be greatly amusing to imagine Jareth caked in mud, I felt that he would be impassive towards fights since the goblins are well, goblins. 


	7. Rose Garden

Disclaimer: Yadda yadda yadda… You all know I don't get any financial compensation for this, don't bother suing…  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 6:  
  
Once again, Narcissa was wandering through her gardens alone. There had been a time when her confidante and husband would have been right beside her but those days were over. Now she was being forced to replace Thor. The image of the rugged, brown-haired fae was always with her.  
  
She never understood her connection to Thor. They were not in love; they both admitted it. Even their children knew that. Their marriage had been about convenience and royal politics. Narcissa supposed that this was what bonded them together. They had acted more like friends than husband and wife and it did not bother them. But they did tell one another everything and although it was common practice among other married fae, they did not have significant others. She had always liked that aspect of their relationship. No mistresses, no flirtation, no handsome lieutenants to sweep the queen off her feet; in short, no scandals. They had been friends, the best of friends possible.  
  
"I miss him so much," Narcissa admitted softly to herself. Her fingers traced the edge of the rose in front of her.  
  
"Of course you miss him, being married to a man for one hundred and twenty five years definitely qualifies as a commitment."  
  
Narcissa turned to see the serious face of the Goblin King. Seeing he was being sincere, she nodded in agreement.  
  
"How did he die?"  
  
The young queen gave a slight gasp at his candor. Not because of what he said, but because he did say it. Most people had tiptoed around the subject of Thor's death for the past twenty-five years.  
  
Jareth sat down on the iron bench nearby, waiting for an answer. He looked undisturbed by her surprise. Narcissa slowly positioned herself next to him.  
  
Her voice cracked with emotion, "War. He was the Norse fae of war. He was also the strongest of any of the so-called Norse 'gods' except perhaps Odin. When a small village implored him to come and save them, he had to go. Unfortunately, he had forgotten what a changed world this is. No one calls on a fae and actually expects that prayer to be answered. They haven't expected it for at least two hundred years. When Thor went to them, he saw, too late, what the village was fighting. A gang of murderers had come to the town. He gave quite a fight; after all, he'd sworn to protect the village. As you know, no fae breaks their promise without dire consequences. But he couldn't last against these new weapons. I think it was the guns that killed him… I'm not sure, they wouldn't let me see his body until they had cleaned it up for the funeral. All I know is that he died from 'overexposure to death'."  
  
Jareth knew what she was talking about. Fae could live through a tremendous amount of physical abuse, but eventually, their bodies would just break down. Several bullet holes could certainly cause it. He looked at Narcissa. She was staring out into the distance, a pained expression on her face.  
  
She glanced at the king next to her, "We think we're so privileged, living in a world set apart from the modern times. We still have palaces and courts and droves of dignitaries who aren't even aware that their own world died a long time ago. We live in the past. And it killed my husband!" She choked the final words out, and for the first time in a quarter of a century, began to cry.  
  
Jareth was startled and she noticed it but could not stop the flow of tears. He recovered quickly though and took her small hand into her own.  
  
"Shhh…" was all he said, trying to calm her. He did not enough experience in this area, he decided. Grief that was not his own was foreign to him.  
  
Trying to hide her embarrassment at crying in front of a stranger, Narcissa teased through her tears, "Mother tells me your are quite the singer."  
  
It was Jareth's turn to blush but he decided that this was a chance to get her mind off of things.  
  
So he began to sing softly,  
  
"There's such a sad love  
  
Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel  
  
Open and closed within your eyes  
  
I'll place the sky within your eyes  
  
There's such a fooled heart  
  
Beating so fast in search of new dreams  
  
A love that will last within your heart  
  
I'll place the moon within your heart  
  
As the pain sweeps through  
  
Makes no sense for you  
  
Every thrill has gone  
  
Wasn't too much fun at all  
  
But I'll be there for you  
  
As the world falls down  
  
Falling  
  
As the world… Falling down  
  
Falling in love  
  
I'll paint you mornings of gold  
  
I'll spin you Valentine evenings  
  
Though we're strangers till now  
  
We're choosing the path between the stars  
  
I'll leave my love between the stars  
  
As the pain sweeps through  
  
Makes no sense for you  
  
Every thrill has gone  
  
Wasn't too much fun at all  
  
But I'll be there for you  
  
As the world falls down  
  
1 Falling…"  
  
Narcissa sighed. It was like a dream she once had or a story she once heard. She put her head on the Goblin King's shoulder and silently cried herself to sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The eyes were there watching the entire scene. How dare he? They were not in love with each other!… Were they?  
  
More tears onto the roses.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Okay, I know… totally weird chapter but it explains a lot about Narcissa. "As the World Falls Down" is a great song by David Bowie (as if you didn't know…) and I don't own it in any way. As for the whole "other world" thing… I suppose it's a confusing concept. Basically, I conceived it as a place where time essentially stands still. Don't ask where it is… it's magical, it could be anywhere. 


	8. Young People These Days...

A/N: Please R/R! And enjoy! (Usual disclaimer applies…)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 7:  
  
Jareth sighed and straightened his clothes a bit. He was not looking forward to another ball. On the other hand, it meant he would be able to see the queen again. After that afternoon's encounter in the garden, Jareth was positive he would be in her favor.  
  
"It's not fair!"  
  
The Goblin King whipped around to see the mysterious woman who called those familiar words out. Giselle, the youngest child of Narcissa, stood there, pouting, with her hands tightened into little fists. Golden hair cascaded over her shoulders and brilliant green eyes glared at the woman in front of her. Jareth recognized the woman as the lady in the green dress who had talked to the Fae Queen, Titania, and Narcissa on the night of the first ball. Her ebony hair was down, framing her conventionally pretty face. She too was frowning.  
  
"Your Highness, you must realize this is an important occasion for your mother. Please, I implore you, do not ruin it. Be kind to the suitors, no matter how frustratingly snobbish they can be."  
  
"But Wynne!"  
  
Jareth interrupted the scene with a short cough. Both women turned to look at him. Upon seeing that it was yet another suitor, Giselle spun around and, in a flurry of white lace and silk, was gone. The lady called Wynne looked at Jareth apologetically.  
  
"I'm so sorry about that, milord. She is being pursued by your competitors and does not wish to be involved in marriage with any 'stuck-up, pompous jerk looking for a few jewels' as she so delicately puts it."  
  
Jareth shrugged, "It does not bother me. Most of us are, in fact, stuck-up pompous jerks."  
  
Wynne smiled and he continued, "Tell me, milady. How did you get into this clash with the young princess?"  
  
The lady sighed and adjusted her gown, which was blue tonight. "I have been assigned to attend to the princesses during this event," she explained, "Since I have no prospects of marriage myself, the Gracious Lady, Titania, suggested that I assure their obedience and well-being. Keziah has been no trouble, but Giselle… Well, you can see for yourself how that is going. She can be so stubborn! Takes after her mother…"  
  
Jareth raised an eyebrow at this last comment but decided to question something else, "And, why, milady do you have no prospects of marriage? It seems that that is the sole purpose of this gathering."  
  
Wynne drew herself up a little, "Well, first off, you can stop addressing me as 'milady', I have no place to be called a lady. My name is Wynne and I am a simple fairy from Scotland, that's all. Which is the reason I have no prospects of marriage. No one would want a unimportant creature like me."  
  
"I seriously doubt that. And even if you are a 'simple fairy' that still puts you above many immortal creatures."  
  
"I suppose so, but being born to a poor family doesn't help my situation," she commented. She looked around a bit and, seeing no one except Jareth was around, she shuddered. Translucent wings emerged from behind her hair. She noticed that the Goblin King was staring and blushed, "I'm sorry, I figured that being a fae, you wouldn't be bothered by that."  
  
"It's quite alright," Jareth responded, "Even a social recluse as myself, knows that fairies need to stretch their wings once in awhile." He was starting to rethink his previous impression of the girl; she obviously was painfully aware of her place in society.  
  
Wynne grinned shyly, "Just like stretching your legs!"  
  
Music began to float through the air. A beautiful serenade. Jareth gave a faint smile and offered his arm to her, "Would you care to join me for this dreadful ball?"  
  
She laughed and they turned to go to the Great Hall, seeing a flash of white dress go around the corner.  
  
Wynne shook her head, "Giselle… I don't know what I'm going to do with her…"  
  
"Don't worry about her right now."  
  
And they went into the Great Hall.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Narcissa graceful wended her way across the floor. She just wanted to make it to the large doors that led out to the veranda. Her favorite place. Unfortunately, Titania picked this moment to capture her.  
  
"Yes, mother?" Narcissa was on the verge of whining. In fact, the only that stopped this unladylike action was the presence of a suitor. Normally, she wouldn't care; the queen would do anything to discourage another suitor. Especially since the same fifty-three men had presented themselves tonight as last. The third day and she had not managed to scare off a single one. But right now, Titania was there and Narcissa felt the obligation to her mother kick in.  
  
The Fae Queen smiled, "Child, I want you to meet this young man. I have been talking with him and I think you should definitely consider him. He's intelligent, practical, kind and has great potential." She sounded vaguely like a car salesman.  
  
Narcissa looked at the man next to Titania. He was blushing furiously at the flattery but also seemed very pleased. Narcissa almost smiled herself; it was the young Ion.  
  
He bowed to the younger queen and asked if he could have a dance. Answering positively, they headed to the center of the room. Every other dancer drew back, scrutinizing the man Narcissa was dancing with. Male eyes crawled over him, trying to identify his weaknesses. Women glared at the 'ancient' queen who was stealing away their young, potential husbands. Ion quickly calmed himself and started to converse with Narcissa. She found him to be everything Titania said he was; intelligent, practical, kind and obviously had the chance to gain great power.  
  
It was the sort of man she wanted her daughter to bring home. Narcissa shuddered and thought, "I probably should have listened to Oros. He said mortals would be hard to get used to. Oberon, my father! This man is young enough to be my grandson!"  
  
She smiled at Ion. He didn't seem to be overly excited either. "Milady," he began, "I wish to tell you something."  
  
"Go ahead, sir."  
  
"I feel that I must clear something up. I am not just a mortal king. I am the son of Apollo and Creusa. I am not the child I can see you think I am."  
  
Narcissa flushed a bit. He was observant too. "Thank you for telling me…" she started.  
  
Ion frowned and interrupted, "Don't think that I believe you would discriminate against me for that. You said you would consider mortals and I'm sure that applies to half-fae. But I wanted to say it, just in case."  
  
"Of course," the queen responded. The dance was over and, after excusing herself, Narcissa was finally able to walk among her roses for the second time that day.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Keziah leaned over to Oros who was sitting on the throne beside her. "Mother certainly is picky. Do you think she'll ever find someone?"  
  
Oros snorted, "As long as he isn't mortal and won't mistreat Mother, I couldn't care less who she picks."  
  
The eldest princess raised her eyebrow at her brother. Usually he was more accommodating to the mortals. She shrugged. She would worry about it later.  
  
Secretly though, she hoped her new stepfather wouldn't be mortal.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: R/R! Please!  
  
Wynne is a Scottish name, yes.  
  
Feel free to comment! 


	9. Laundry

Disclaimer: I own nothing… don't sue me.  
  
A/N: I wrote this after finishing other chapters but it fits with the story, and actually helps it somewhat. But that's the reason this is chapter 7B; I don't have to mess with renumbering chapters.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 7B:  
  
Oros surveyed the courtyard. It was painfully early in the morning and the washing women were just getting their work together. The younger women already had their arms elbow-deep into soapy water, scrubbing various clothes and linens. About ten monstrous wooden tanks of water littered the yard, each filled with water and supplying work for seven women each. The fifty or so elder women had the easier job; they hung the wet, clean items on the line to dry and starched linens. Still backbreaking work and they never got a break from the constant stream of clothes from the younger girls.  
  
A large group of men entered the courtyard, led by Narcissa. Oros frowned slightly; the mortal, Ion was in the front of the group talking animatedly to the queen. On the other side, Sobek continually put in his opinions. Near the tanks, Narcissa turned to the suitors, "Well, I'm glad all of you came out this early. Unfortunately, I have been informed that my own servants are not ready. If you could wait here a short time, I'm sure we'll get underway soon." She left before any questions could be raised. Oros smirked; this would be amusing.  
  
Puck started humming a funeral dirge while the other men looked around nervously. One of the young washing women giggled. Her dark hair was pinned up and her white dress was already dirty from the dust of the courtyard. A few men smiled when they saw the lovely girl.  
  
"Need any help, my dear?" Oros could not tell who called it out, but soon the suitors were gathered around the pretty servants, trying to assist them. Water flew everywhere as the men clumsily handled the wet garments while attempting to flirt.  
  
Oros felt his sisters come up behind him. "How do the girls stand it?" questioned Keziah. She winced as one of the kings dropped a sparkling white pillowcase into the dirt. The servant girl in white forced a smile and gingerly took the linen back to wash it again.  
  
The young prince shrugged. "I suppose that they know they are helping our mother," he grinned, "And the sooner that Mother chooses a husband, the sooner these guys will be out of the servants' hair."  
  
The three siblings turned their attention to the test before them, noting that all of the suitors were failing miserably. Kindness versus desire, a hard choice indeed but something the queen had felt was necessary to test. A king could not just ignore his subjects for a pretty face. It was a test of selfishness; would the suitors be helpful to the elder, hard-working women or continue to serve their own interests by flirting?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Narcissa stared at the men in disbelief. She could not believe that none of them realized that they were being tested. Even from her position across the courtyard, the queen could see the servants frowning. She sighed; this might take awhile.  
  
Suddenly, a figure stood straight and walked to the elder servants. "Good thinking, Sobek," Narcissa murmured.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Both Jareth and Ion quickly joined Sobek. They all regarded each other with mild distrust as Puck sauntered over.  
  
"Hey Bess," he teased the oldest servant, bowing low and kissing her hand.  
  
The elder woman giggled, "Oh, Lord Goodfellow, you are too sweet to an old bird like me!"  
  
Puck stared in mock amazement, "Why, I don't see a woman here that looks a day over eighteen!" The entire flock of servants laughed.  
  
Far away, Narcissa laughed as well. "That man… he could always bring humor to the most tiresome of situations," she said, shaking her soft red hair.  
  
"Sobek wins of course," whispered Oros behind her. The queen turned to face her son, frowning slightly at his intrusion.  
  
"Yes, I suppose he does."  
  
"He doesn't hold much to Father, but he is acceptable," the prince responded grudgingly.  
  
"You mean, he is immortal."  
  
"None of us are truly immortal, Mother. My father wasn't." Oros looked at the beautiful queen blandly; the only emotion was in his mournful eyes.  
  
A shriek carried across the grounds. Narcissa whipped around and sighed exasperatedly to see the suitors teasing one of the maids about throwing her into the tub of water. The girl's golden hair quivered with laughter.  
  
"Oh dear, it looks like I must stop this disgraceful display of flirtation."  
  
"Don't bother, Mother. Go out riding. I'll clean up here and make sure the men wipe their feet before going inside. Our butler wouldn't like cleaning that up."  
  
Narcissa smiled at her son. She supposed it would not hurt anyone to slip away for awhile, and Everdark had not been taken out since the hunt. "Thank you, my son. I'll only be gone for an hour or so."  
  
Oros waved his mother away and walked back to the washing fiasco. Twenty women and almost all the suitors were sopping wet. The prince spotted a familiar face among the guilty.  
  
"Giselle! What have you been doing?" he asked his sister in surprise. The princess looked like she had been submerged. Her hair was a wreck as she giggled next to King Ion.  
  
"Oh, loosen up, Brother! I was just having some fun!"  
  
"Where's your crown? And your shoes?" Oros questioned her quietly. Giselle immediately recognized the dangerous soft voice that was inherent in her family. Thor had used it many times when she got out of line. She had been his youngest and most precious child, but that never had stopped him from admonishing her for forgetting her social position.  
  
"They're right here, Oros," Keziah called. She held up the damp items in disgust.  
  
Giselle frowned and stomped up to her sister. "Give me those," she snarled, snatching the shoes and crown from the other princess. She turned on Oros, "Everyone keeps saying, 'Oh Giselle! Give the suitors a chance!' and the one time I do, you yell at me for it! You, Brother, are just as bad as the rest of them!" She marched into the castle.  
  
Oros sighed, "Where's Wynne when you need her?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: The servant calls Puck "Lord Goodfellow" because his other name is "Robin Goodfellow". It's the only time I use that name for him, because I never liked it (makes me think of Batman) but I thought that a servant wouldn't call him by his first name.  
  
I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this out… perhaps getting up to 35 reviews would make me go faster… (  
  
Special thanks to Baloo! Without her, this chapter wouldn't even be here, much less make sense! 


	10. Fight in the Rain

Disclaimer: The usual… I wish I owned the Labyrinth… or any of the other characters I've taken out of context.  
  
A/N: Oh, and I wrote this during a thunderstorm, so I'm sorry if it's a bit dark.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 8:  
  
Thunder crashed outside and Jareth frowned. Out on the veranda, getting drenched, was Narcissa. She was in a leather outfit which, surprisingly, allowed maximum movement while she fought her contender. He and a few others watched from the safe and dry library.  
  
He turned to Puck, "Does she have to practice every day? It's pouring!"  
  
Puck gave Jareth a slight glance and responded, "It's her style. She'll never stop practicing. Not until she's perfect in every form of combat there is. Everyday at dawn she trains. Sometimes alone but often she has Ares to help her. He's the only one who can beat her, after all." He gave a devilish grin and continued, "Certainly lucky isn't he? One of the suitors and he gets to see her every single day."  
  
Jareth nearly growled but chose to contain his annoyance. "Shouldn't it bother you too? I mean, you are a contender also," he retorted.  
  
Puck hesitated and then shrugged it off, "I figure she knows me well enough. If she wants me, she'll chose me." He smiled, happy to have covered up his mistake.  
  
Eyeing him suspiciously, the Goblin King turned back to the fight. Narcissa was on the ground, trying to reach her sword. Ares was advancing, with his sword poised to strike. Jareth looked at Puck again, this time with an extremely worried expression. Helplessly observing women in danger was not his favorite thing.  
  
"Don't worry," the trickster said, "Just watch."  
  
Narcissa had flipped over and retrieved her sword and brought it up to meet Ares' downward swing. The queen, with her hair plastered to her head and fingers turning blue from the cold, bared her teeth against the pressure. She looked positively feral. Finally, she gathered her strength and pushed up, causing Ares to stumble backwards. Narcissa jumped to her feet and attacked viciously. He stopped her sword only inches from his neck. He forced her away and in another attack, knocked the sword out of her hands. Narcissa glared momentarily but made no movement to get her weapon. Instead, she pulled a knife. Amazingly fast, she divested him of his sword as well, but not without losing her knife in the process. The two warriors now circled one another. At last, Ares lunged and pinned Narcissa to the slick stones of the veranda, using his weight to his advantage. After counting to ten, it was over. Ares had won.  
  
They came into the library after collecting their weapons. Ignoring the stunned audience (except Puck, who looked positively proud), Ares complimented, "You were excellent this morning 'Cissa. You had it until the end."  
  
The queen gave him a mocking smile, "Just don't get too smart about it. I can still beat you at archery any day."  
  
Ares bowed, "Yes, I give you that. You can. Tomorrow at the same time?"  
  
A curtsey, "Same place."  
  
Jareth frowned again as the soaking woman moved out of the room. Ares looked at his competitors, smiled and then followed the queen.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Narcissa sighed as the silk dress enveloped her. It was dry and warm but it was still a queen's clothing. Probably why she enjoyed her morning fights so much; she got to wear what she wanted, without having to be the perfect lady. She could let loose and be herself.  
  
She touched the gleaming sword on the bed next to her. All she wanted was to get out of here. When Thor was around, she was content and happy. Why shouldn't she have been? Her best friend constantly by her side, wonderful children, power, and riches; in short, she had everything. Now she just wanted to be free. Or, if she had to marry the queen desperately hoped it would be someone she could love.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lemures growled. Narcissa was obviously not favoring him. He had already lost one sister two hundred years ago. He didn't want to lose another. He wanted that power! Smiling wickedly, Lemures thought of having supremacy over everyone in the fae world. It would be pure joy.  
  
He heard footsteps behind him. Lemures scowled, "Hello."  
  
"Good morning. I know what you're doing."  
  
"Straight to the point," Lemures noticed, flinching. He recovered quickly, "So? Are you going to go tell on me?" He couldn't help the sarcasm.  
  
A short laugh, "No, I want a piece of the action."  
  
And the evil one smiled.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: R/R! 


	11. Piano Lessons

A/N: Usual disclaimer and such. The last part of chapter 8 was weird, I know. It will make more sense later, I promise.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 9:  
  
Her fingers flew over the keys of the grand piano. She was happiest when here in this secluded little room in the castle. Probably why she was such a virtuoso. It was the one thing she held over all the other fae. They believed that since they could create a symphony with a small wave of the hand, then why should they exert time and energy to learning how to play just one instrument? Few agreed with the mortal way of making music. Apollo, a few of the Muses perhaps. But most regarded it as a waste of time.  
  
Giselle paused in the middle of a phrase and stiffened. She had felt someone enter.  
  
"Please, princess, don't stop on my account."  
  
She turned to glare at the man who was invading her privacy. He was vaguely familiar and she realized with annoyance that he was one of the suitors. "Wonderful," she thought sarcastically, "now they've encroached upon my only refuge." After the laundry disaster, she was determined to ignore the suitors. It had been so humiliating to be reprimanded in front of those socially inferior men.  
  
Noticing her silence and displeased look, he proceeded to seat himself in the large armchair next to the piano. He smiled at her and continued his request, "Please, it was quite wonderful. Could you play a bit more for me?"  
  
Giselle frowned but turned to her music and began to perform for the gentleman. As she did, the princess thought of what an impertinent, pushy idiot he was. "On the other hand," she admitted silently, "he's quite handsome. And he isn't pestering me about my mother for once. Most do."  
  
He leaned over and questioned her gently, "I suppose you hate all of us? The suitors I mean." He paused, "I'm sorry for trying to take your mother away."  
  
She stopped abruptly and stared at him. She hadn't told anyone why she had been so difficult lately. Granted, it was not too hard to figure out but she had not thought anyone would even care to notice. He looked tired to her. Simply exhausted... and a little guilty.  
  
The princess spoke for the first time since he had entered the room, "Thank you." She said it quietly but he understood how much his statement had meant to her. He smiled. She gave one in return. "Maybe this one isn't so bad," she thought.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
She had just stepped off the curb. Singing quietly, she began drifting across the little road on her way home. She barely noticed the car's tires screeching as it came around the corner. As it drew closer, going twice the speed limit, she turned and stood there in shock, her eyes going wide. And then everything went black.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jareth gasped for air and clutched at his chest. These nightmares were more terrifying than anything he had experienced in his two thousand-year existence. A thought struck him and he frowned. He got up and dressed with a snap of his fingers. Striding out of his room, he made his way down to the enormous parlor towards the front of the palace. He stood in the doorway and crossed his arms. "I knew you would be up," he drawled.  
  
The three siblings turned simultaneously to face the Goblin King. The tall one had a frown to match Jareth's, while the other two looked on impassively. "We're up because this is when it is natural for us to be awake."  
  
"Well, must you give me nightmares so often? I've barely gotten a full hour of restful sleep since I arrived here."  
  
The three brothers looked at each other. Morpheus' frown deepened as he responded, "We haven't sent you any dreams."  
  
Icelus and Phantasus nodded in agreement. Jareth glared at them until the silence got uncomfortable.  
  
Icelus finally spoke, saying, "I assure you cousin, we did not do it. There are more fae in control of dreams than the three of us. Besides, we're more in the prophecy dream business anyway. We don't mess with simple nightmares."  
  
Jareth narrowed his eyes and Phantasus picked up the conversation, "Why Jareth? What kind of dreams have you been experiencing?" He looked slightly concerned and so the Goblin King gave in and told him of the nightmares of Sarah and her sudden death.  
  
Now the three brothers were all looking grim. "The thing is, Jareth," Morpheus explained, "is that you are in our jurisdiction. We should be having complete control over your dreams but the nightmares you are describing... well, we would never have sent them. Humans experience things like that all the time but we fae have more control over our minds, it's the reason we have magical powers in the first place. You shouldn't have the nightmares unless either we sent them or you want them. Somehow, the control is being taken from you and you can't expel the thoughts that create normal, non-fae induced dreams. How long have you been having these dreams? Since you got here?"  
  
Shrugging, he answered, "They've gotten worse here. But I've had them with increasing frequency over the last two hundred years. Ever since Sa-... she died."  
  
Icelus turned pale, "That's not good Jareth. You should have come to us. I think... I think someone is trying to weaken your power... And it's working."  
  
Phantasus agreed, "Do you have any idea who would be doing this?"  
  
Jareth was shaking slightly as he answered negatively. All of his enemies were either dead or did not have the power to do this. He sat down in the nearest armchair and conjured a crystal, a nervous habit of his.  
  
He looked into it. It didn't look as clear and beautiful as it once did.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The eyes watched him fall asleep and the young woman enter the parlor. She glanced around and then let her gaze rest upon the king.  
  
The eyes narrowed as she bent over him and tenderly brushed away an errant hair on his forehead. She looked up sharply, as if she sensed that the eyes were upon her. Instead of investigating, she grabbed a book on the end table and darted out.  
  
The owner of the eyes felt a sharp pang of jealousy.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Another strange ending. Aren't I kind? R/R! Please!  
  
Oh, and the three brothers are the Greek gods of dreams... FYI. 


	12. Anger and Bread

A/N: Yeah... let's get right to it shall we? R/R!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 10:  
  
Narcissa felt like pulling out her hair. It was a week and a half into the competition and the same thirty men presented themselves every night. Nothing she did could deter them. She had three days to announce her choice and she had no idea who she would pick. Jareth, Sobek and Ion had held onto the lead that they secured the day of the hunt. Puck was not even trying, yet he still remained in a steady position at fourth. As for the other twenty-six gentlemen, Narcissa had no clue why they chose to remain in the race.  
  
It was Sobek who was in the lead, considering he agreed the most with Narcissa's politics. The trouble? He knew it. According to Puck, he was becoming unbearable to the other suitors. If Narcissa didn't act, she might not have a first choice anymore. Even the mild-tempered (second choice) Ion was on edge around him. Jareth, by far the most intriguing suitor, was in a solid third. If it had been up to the young queen, he would be in first place, but his harsh politics towards his subjects had come up during one of the tests and a riot had nearly started. During the straightforward character test, Lemures had accused Jareth of cruelty to which he simply replied that he could be cruel, just like anyone else. The look that transpired between them had led to other accusations and eventually a fight. If Titania had not arrived, Narcissa wasn't sure what she would have done.  
  
She swept down the corridor, gritting her teeth. A figure appeared at the end of the hallway. Squinting, the queen tentatively said, "Puck?"  
  
The man leaned forward and Narcissa was faced with Lemures' evil smile, "Not quite, Your Majesty."  
  
"You scared me!" Narcissa shrieked. Lemures just grinned even more but it quickly faded.  
  
Footsteps came up behind her and Narcissa turned to see Morpheus emerge from his room.  
  
"Is there a problem here?" the dream fae questioned. He threw a dark look at Lemures.  
  
"No problem, my dear cousin," the evil fae replied, his voice dripping with honey, "I just accidentally scared our young queen here." He turned and walked off.  
  
Morpheus looked at Narcissa, "Are you alright, my dear?"  
  
She smiled up at the wise fae, "Yes, he just startled me." Narcissa felt a pang of guilt when she realized that Morpheus and his brothers had quit the competition earlier that week. According to Puck, they had felt unworthy. She inwardly grimaced as she thought, "I'd much rather marry one of them than Lemures."  
  
Lemures was in dead last, with good reason. He constantly stirred up fights among the other suitors and spread hateful gossip every chance he got.  
  
Narcissa shivered.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wynne giggled as she watched the Goblin King try to cook.  
  
Her Scottish accent came through as she said, "When you said you'd help me, I thought you could actually cook, lad!"  
  
Jareth raised a (flour-covered) eyebrow at her. "Making bread by hand is not as easy as it looks, fairy," he said defensively.  
  
Wynne faked an exasperated sigh and pushed him aside. Within twenty minutes, the damage was repaired and a beautiful loaf was ready to be placed in the wood-burning oven. She grinned at his awe-struck expression.  
  
He recovered smoothly, "And you say you can't do anything my dear? It seems to me that you would be worth quite a lot to some lucky man."  
  
The fairy frowned, "Yes... I might be useful to some men... a baker perhaps."  
  
"Why do you talk like that? Since we met a week ago, you've done nothing but amaze me. You can recite poetry, you cook marvelously, you have incredible patience and can fly better than most fairies I know. Shall I continue?"  
  
She blushed and hugged the stately king, "Thanks, even if it's not true."  
  
Jareth just smiled and sighed in frustration.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A vase smashed against the wall. Savagely, Narcissa picked up a crystal figurine and obliterated it as well and then, collapsed on the floor.  
  
Her room was a wreck; no one could even walk in it without tripping over broken glass or splintered wood. It had looked like this periodically over the last twenty-five years, but was in a constant state of disarray for the festival. Even the servants avoided the place.  
  
Narcissa sighed as she thought of her secret, that her temper was something to be feared. No, `temper' was not the right word. `Violence' perhaps. Thor had always managed to control it but the young queen was afraid of what her prospective husband might say the first time he saw her destroy a mirror. The only living people who knew of her temperament were her children and Puck. How could she hide it from her future husband?  
  
"My, but it's a battlefield in here," a soft voice came to the queen.  
  
She was not even surprised, "Hello Trickster."  
  
Puck came over to the spot where she had fallen. "Someday, you're going to have to let out your stress in court. Then this," he motioned to the wreckage, "won't happen as often."  
  
Narcissa flashed her eyes up to him in annoyance, "You really think that yelling at my courtiers would ever help? I can't do that, Puck! What will they think?"  
  
"Oh? So now it matters what your courtiers think? They're jealous of the `perfect queen' anyway, `Cissa! They would jump all over this little violence problem of yours. They'd love it. And since when did you care what your inferiors thought?"  
  
That hurt. Her best friend calling her unfeeling, haughty and yet cowardly did not help her mood. Narcissa began crying.  
  
Puck frowned, "You never cry, my queen. I'm sorry."  
  
The queen did not make a response so the Trickster simply gathered her in his arms and picked her up. He sighed as she rested her head against his shoulder. By the time he had carried her to the large, canopy bed she was asleep with exhaustion.  
  
"Sleep, my dearest friend."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: I would soooooo like to get reviews! Please? I mean... I know how this story turns out - do you? Do you want to find out? Then review!!!!! 


	13. Turning the Tide

Disclaimer: See previous chapters… most of these characters don't belong to me, some do. 

__

Warning: There is a little bit of violence and blood in this chapter. You've been warned.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 11:

The castle was finally quiet at three in the morning. Everyone was anxious to discover the winner of the competition. Only two more days and the queen would announce the victor's name. Every night, the guests crawled into bed earlier and earlier, hoping to speed time up to that fateful moment.

Lemures crouched behind the drapes in the library. He was almost nervous, as if he had not done this before. He put his hand on his dagger.

The thick oak doors swung open and Lemures turned from the veranda doors to see a middle-aged man come in. He recognized him as a suitor's valet. The fae stepped out from behind the curtain. "What are you doing here?" he questioned.

The man jumped a foot in the air but quickly collected himself. Straightening his waistcoat he responded, "My king left something in here. I came to retrieve it."

Lemures nodded and then raised his eyebrow. The valet was eyeing his dagger and looked terrified.

He backed away from the fae slowly, muttering that he would get the object the next day. Lemures frowned and thought about his situation. The valet would tell his king what he had seen immediately. Even if he didn't, he knew too much. The evil fae stalked towards the servant, who was rooted to the spot in fear.

Stopping directly in front of him, Lemures grinned cruelly. "So sorry…" he mocked as he plunged the knife into the valet's stomach. The man collapsed into Lemures' arms and the fae dragged him behind the drapes. He magically cleaned the crimson stain on the carpet and then resumed his position beside the veranda doors.

He peered out into the darkness. He knew the queen would come out there as soon as every guest was asleep. It was her favorite place and, now more than ever, she needed a peaceful corner to think. 

Sure enough, just as the full moon was peeking over the trees, Narcissa crept into the tranquil garden. She circled the pond, and crossed its tiny bridge. Slowly, she made her way past the weeping willows, pausing only to brush her hand across the ancient trees' trunks. Finally, she climbed up to the veranda and stood in the moonlight. Her ballgown glittered in the dim lighting. It was daffodil yellow with touches of orange. Together with her fiery hair, she looked like the sun glowing in the middle of the dark garden.

Lemures opened the veranda door and Narcissa spun around immediately. "Good training," he thought, "Any decent warrior would have heard me. Ares taught her well."

The queen frowned. This was the last person she wanted to see even on a normal evening. "May I help you, Lemures? I need a little time to think," she demanded.

The dark-haired fae noted with contempt that she never called him "cousin." No matter. He simply smiled and sweetly responded, "You have plenty of time, my dear."

"I have two days…" she said cautiously, noting the maniacal look Lemures had. 

Lemures glided forward, hunching over slightly and narrowing his eyes, "You have exactly as long as I say you have." He was still covered in the servant's blood and he held the dripping dagger in his hand.

Narcissa's eyes widened but her wits didn't leave her. She conjured a sword and swung it towards him. "I know you've seen me practice my swordsmanship. You know I could cut you into little pieces if I wish."

He stopped moving forward but was hardly daunted. Instead he smiled and started murmuring under his breath. Narcissa strained to hear him but could not make out the words. Lemures mocked her and raised his voice just enough so she could distinguish the language. She inhaled sharply. It was an ancient form of Latin. He was invoking spirits of the dead.

A soft wailing filled the air and wisps of white smoke flew about her. The evil fae in front of her stopped and grinned, "Don't be fooled, my lovely. These apparitions are hardly harmless. They are the lemures, the evil spirits for which I am named and which I have power over. My one great power… The spirits of the wicked are under my control."

Narcissa felt as if she had plunged into ice water. She was frozen to the spot as three of the spirits wrapped themselves around her. Hundreds more permeated the air.

Lemures leaned over to the young queen, "Make that two great powers, because now I have control over _you_."

"NO!" she yelled. He jumped back, startled at her outburst. The momentary distraction shook his concentration and allowed her to escape her bonds and move away. The sword still hung heavy in her hands and once again, she whipped it around her head.

The evil fae frowned, aware that the queen's yell had surely woken someone up. He motioned for some of the spirits to cover her mouth. But this time, Narcissa didn't just stand there; she fought back.

She leapt away from the spirits and towards Lemures. Almost a split second too late, he darted away. He frowned as he watched her dodge the spirits, conscious that should she win this battle, he would regret it. Gritting his teeth, he lunged forward and was repaid with a sharp blade through his forearm. He nearly screamed in pain as the wound bled. Lemures knew it had hit the bone and scrambled to wrap it up.

Narcissa laughed cruelly but quickly returned her attention to the evil phantoms circling her. A sword was useless against them but she noticed that Lemures' control over them was hardly absolute. Several times, they came close to escaping his hold over them, only to be forced back towards her. After years being penned up in Hades' kingdom, she supposed that they simply wanted freedom.

Lemures, still in unsurpassable agony, only had enough strength to keep them close. The ghosts were flying around, completely disinterested in Narcissa. She could even hear what they were saying.

"So close!"

"_He_ is making us stay… just to satisfy his desire for revenge."

"I know a few people I want to take revenge on…"

"He'll never allow us to leave."

"Let us OUT!"

"On the other hand, we have this pretty lady to torture."

"Who cares?"

"She's royalty, the kind who put us to death…"

With this revelation, the spirits turned to the queen and started floating about her. They began taking on more distinct shapes and Narcissa was confronted with the faces of the most notorious murderers and psychopaths in history; a few of them she recognized as her own victims. Their terrifying glares shook her to the core. She sank to the ground; looking into their dark eyes was something she had never expected to do again. She knew they could not be defeated.

Within seconds, the ghosts had wrapped themselves around her and she was Lemures' prisoner once again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jareth groaned, dreaming of his love's death. The dreams were so vivid and alive. Morpheus' attempts to find the culprit were in vain and Jareth was still experiencing the terrifying loss of his powers, and sanity. His constantly blood-shot eyes and exhaustion were drawing comments everyday.

He slowly opened his bi-colored eyes and breathed a hesitant sigh of relief. It was over. Then Goblin King frowned. He still heard Sarah's cries.

But that wasn't possible was it? He lay there for a few more minutes and finally got up and walked out to the balcony. The garden stretched out before him, but he hardly saw it as he noticed the massive amount of smoke coming up from the veranda, curling towards the sky. Jareth squinted and almost gasped with horror when he realized the 'smoke' was actually a column of phantoms. At the base, Narcissa was glaring at a tall, dark man facing away from Jareth. He was about to yell out to the pair, when the man snapped his fingers and it all disappeared. Not a trace of the event remained.

Now wide-awake, Jareth dressed and left his room.

Two minutes later, he was pounding furiously at Puck's door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As he walked to the throne, Oros heard snatches of the rumors that were flying around. The guests were speculating about everything possible. Some believed Narcissa had taken off alone, angry at her predicament. Many people thought that the body found in the library was Narcissa's. Others contended that it was the body of a suitor who had asked for the queen's hand one time too many. Still others argued that Thor was back from the dead and took his queen where the suitors could not get to her.

If the situation had been any less serious, Oros would have laughed aloud. He finally reached the thrones at the end of the room. Titania sat in her daughter's throne, looking tired. Oberon was next to her, trying to comfort the Fae Queen. Several people stood around the dais in silence, including Jareth, Sobek, Ion, Giselle and Keziah. Puck was apart from the others, paler than usual. Finally he stepped forward and called for the attention of the people in the room.

"Guests, I am sure you all know by now that a horrific event has taken place tonight. Our queen, Narcissa, is gone without a trace. I assure you, we will find her quickly," he paused. Oros knew that the trickster was unsure whether he should tell everything he knew or not. "We will keep you updated on the search. If you know anything, please come forward. For now, I would go and prepare for breakfast. The sun is about to rise. Thank you for your cooperation."

The crowd, with their unfounded speculations and rumors, left the room slowly until only those around the dais remained.

Puck glanced around darkly, "It was Lemures. He must have killed your valet, Sobek, and then captured the queen."

Jareth raised his head, "Where will we find her though?"

Titania stood up and walked to him and whispered, "Your crystals… couldn't they find her?"

"I'm not sure. Even when my strength is at its normal levels, it might not show the young queen," he hesitated and looked over to the silent Morpheus, "It was him wasn't it? Lemures has been sending me these dreams, draining my power?"

"More than likely," the dream fae responded, "Your power is so drained that I doubt you are much above a mortal sorcerer now." Jareth scowled but Morpheus continued, "Your crystals might work if you take my power temporarily."

Keziah gasped, "That's dangerous, Morpheus. What if something goes wrong? You might not retrieve all your powers."

The fae simply shrugged, "I'm aware that if Jareth destroys my powers somehow, or dies that I will die also. But I've lived a long life, if it ended now I would not regret it." 

He removed a pendant of the moon from his neck and murmured a few words in Greek. Light flowed through his body and into the pendant. When it stopped, he staggered a bit but managed to hand it to Jareth. "That now has all my magical ability harbored in it. Wear it and you can use the harnessed power."

The Goblin King clasped his hand in thanks and put on the vessel of power. Immediately, he conjured a perfect crystal and looked into it. "I see her," he murmured, to the relief of all around him, "She's close…I don't know exactly where though."

Oberon stood up, "We're going after her anyway. Jareth, you must lead us and…"

Puck spoke up, "I think just a few of us should go, milord. Or we'll alert him to our presence. I volunteer myself to go with King Jareth."

Sobek also stepped up, followed by Ion. Oberon gave a small, proud smile, "I think three is enough, Ion, although I appreciate your willingness."

Jareth held the crystal in a gloved hand, peering into its depths. They had to hurry.

Ten minutes later, the three volunteers were gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The eyes watched the fae's meeting closely. As Jareth, Sobek and Puck disappeared, the eyes followed them. They narrowed slightly.

Something was wrong. There was a feeling of evil surrounding them. The eyes had to help.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Everybody say thank you to Anne-Marie and Star Soul for making my review count go to 40! Without that, this chapter wouldn't be here… * grins evilly_*_

And also to my beta-reader, Baloo! Gracias people!

I would just like to say that I have been reading your stuff (all of you) but my stupid computer won't let me review… just know that I think you guys are wonderful, wonderful writers and if this continues for long, I'll email you my comments (I hate not being able to review.)


	14. Death Explained

Disclaimer: Most belong to others… some belong to me and me alone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 12:  
  
Narcissa struggled against the chains. Her wrists were raw and sore after four hours of trying to escape. For some reason, her magical abilities were not helping. She was chained, gagged and blindfolded. The blindfold even wrapped around her ears. Only her senses of smell and touch helped her determine where she was.  
  
"Damp earth… burning wood…" she thought, "I can feel the stone beneath my hand… I can smell Lemures' stench… I must be outside somewhere… Oh Oberon, my father, where am I?"  
  
The queen felt vibrations of someone coming close by and suddenly, her blindfold was ripped off. Lemures grinned at her, "Do you like your new home, my dear?"  
  
He motioned to the cave they were in. It was large but the opening was barely a crawl space, covered by bushes from the outside. A fire blazed in the middle of the cavern and trash littered the ground. The demons still floated around the fire, mixing with the smoke.  
  
The evil fae laughed, "Oh, and don't bother with the shackles. I'm sure you have noticed you can't use your magic here. That's because Hephaestus made the metal. No fae can escape those bonds."  
  
Lemures' eyes swept over her body, finally meeting her own eyes.  
  
"Now," he said, leaning towards her, "where shall we start?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The trio of kings stumbled through the underbrush. They were about four miles from Narcissa's castle, in the middle of the forest.  
  
"She can't be much farther," muttered Puck.  
  
Jareth and Sobek only growled in response.  
  
"If he touches a hair on her head, I'll rip him apart," Sobek murmured. The others nodded and he continued, "I will not have my future wife traumatized by some scum from under a rock."  
  
Jareth stopped dead in his tracks and glared at Sobek, "Who declared you winner?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious I agree with Narcissa the most? That I have done everything perfectly in these little tests of hers?" he replied with a smug grin decorating his face. Puck glanced up sharply, aware that the frayed nerves might start something.  
  
Instead, the Goblin King threw a disdainful stare at Sobek and conjured a small blue crystal. "I think we are close enough to the queen that this will lead us to her."  
  
The Egyptian fae snapped at him, "Why didn't you use that kind of crystal earlier?"  
  
"It only works within a certain proximity," Jareth sneered back, "Most magic works that way… not that you would know, with your simple parlor tricks."  
  
"My parlor tricks?!?! Who among us constantly conjures crystals just to…"  
  
"Enough!"  
  
Jareth and Sobek stared, shocked at the trickster's sudden, angry outburst. "We don't have time to stand and bicker for the sake of our egos. You two might just want prestige out of this, but Narcissa is my best friend," he stalked up to Jareth and snatched the crystal from his hand and dropped it on the ground, "Come on." Puck moved off, shadowing the glowing crystal.  
  
They demurred and followed the seething fae until Sobek cried out in pain. Puck whipped around, "Jareth! What did you…"  
  
He trailed off, seeing Sobek on the ground, gripping his leg. Jareth stood fifteen feet away, with wide eyes. The trickster rushed over and immediately saw the strange angle of the fae's broken leg. A treacherous root was raised above the ground a few feet away.  
  
Puck frowned, "I can cure you but it will take a few hours to completely heal. We have to leave you here." The Egyptian nodded, his eyes closed in agony. Puck murmured in Latin, holding his hand against the fractured leg. Gradually, Sobek's tiny whimpers stopped and Puck stood up.  
  
He looked at Jareth, "Let's go, then. We'll be back for you soon, Sobek." He walked off. Jareth followed him with his eyes, shrugged and took off after him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Narcissa edged into the corner as best she could with her hands and feet bound in chains. She did not like the look Lemures was giving her. But instead of following her into the cave's crevices, he backed up and looked at her thoughtfully.  
  
"You know, you look nothing like your sister," he said quietly, "Laeli was dark-haired with brown eyes. Like night… and you, you're like day."  
  
"Laeli?" Narcissa shrieked, "YOU stole her? I'll kill you, you evil monster!"  
  
Lemures chuckled softly, moving closer and taking a lock of Narcissa's hair between his fingers. As he examined it dreamily he murmured, "I do prefer night though…"  
  
He dropped her tresses suddenly and turned away. "But yes, I was the one who took her so many years ago," Lemures turned to face her again, "My greatest hour… I thought I had planned for everything."  
  
"Beast!" the queen interjected, but Lemures barely paused.  
  
"I switched the child with a mortal one that had also had just been born, a stillborn. The look on those mortals' faces sickened me, as the doctors handed them a living baby girl… I had planned to retrieve the girl in eighteen years, to present her to the Fae Court and to ask that my only reward for finding the long-lost girl would be to marry her. I would kill your parents and become the Fae King."  
  
Narcissa laughed scornfully, "And how did you intend to kill my parents? The Lord Oberon and his Lady Titania could counter any attack you tried. Any fae could."  
  
Lemures raised his eyebrow and then grinned evilly, "I would kill them in the same way I killed your husband, Thor."  
  
The queen choked on air but the evil fae continued, "Yes, that was another success of mine… finishing off your dear old husband. I sent a false invocation to him and when he got to the mortal world, I simply set the lemures after him. The demons depleted his power and then pulled his spirit from his body and into the underworld… easily done, actually. A few bullet holes and your family was falling all over themselves to blame mortal gangsters."  
  
Narcissa sobbed, imagining the cold creatures leaving her husband's body to be desecrated in the human realm.  
  
Lemures smiled. "Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. I would have left your precious spouse alone if Laeli had not died in the mortal world," he paused for effect as Narcissa wept harder, "But she did die, and so I had to go to my back-up plan; marrying the youngest daughter of Oberon and gaining domination that way."  
  
He cleared his throat, "I would have preferred winning you in this ridiculous contest of yours, but I knew I wasn't succeeding, and so I'll simply force Oberon to give me your hand in marriage. Or you'll die."  
  
The queen raised her head, her face streaked with red, "I must give you credit, Lemures… it's quite a feat to have accomplished on your own."  
  
He shrugged impassively, "I had a bit of help, my dear. I cannot call on the lemures more than once every hundred years or so. I needed a bit of assistance."  
  
Narcissa's eyes glittered in contempt, "So there were others who aided in the murder of my husband? And the kidnapping of my sister?"  
  
Lemures glared, "I can assure you that Laeli's kidnapping was my plot, and mine alone. But I have had a bit of help lately." He paused and listened at the cave's entrance. He looked at her, smiling, "And here they are now… Welcome, friends."  
  
The young queen raised her head to see the newcomer. She gasped.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Haha – I'm evil, I know. R/R! 


	15. Traitors

Let's get right to it shall we? See earlier chapters for the disclaimers.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 13:  
  
"I don't understand," Jareth said, frowning, "We should have been there twenty minutes ago. This crystal is leading us in a circle."  
  
Puck looked at him, "Did you use it too soon?"  
  
"No, it would have simply stopped if it got too far from Narcissa. Unless something else is affecting it."  
  
The pair stood for a moment, watching the blue crystal's movements.  
  
"I just don't get it."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The spirits, invisible to Jareth and Puck, pushed the crystal farther from the cave's entrance. They had been very close, too close. Lemures would never allow them to go free if they let the pair of fae discover the cave.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The eyes could see them though. They had just caught up with the fae and spirits when the eyes saw what dire straits the fae were in. The Goblin King and the trickster obviously could not do it on their own. At this rate, Narcissa would be lost before they even figured out they were being misled.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lemures smiled vacantly as his accomplices crawled in. Narcissa gasped at the sight of the man and woman standing at the end of the cave.  
  
"Traitors!" she hissed, "How could you do this?"  
  
"Nice to see you too, my queen," the man said, "And may I remind you that you are in no place to making nasty accusations. We might just get mad…" He trailed off and grinned.  
  
Lemures walked over to them and held out his hand, which was quickly grasped in a warrior's greeting. The woman stood silently and did not move until Lemures had finished welcoming her companion. Finally, he turned to the lady and bowed, "Milady, I am overjoyed that you made it to this little gathering of ours. I trust you already know our guest?" He gestured to Narcissa; her eyes were becoming darker by the second.  
  
The woman shifted uncomfortably, "I'd be overjoyed myself, except that you plan to marry that little wench."  
  
Lemures frowned but it quickly faded as he caught her up in his arms. "That will change, you know that, my dear. It's so simple. I marry her, I kill her parents, I kill her and then I marry you," he punctuated the last phrase will a forceful kiss.  
  
The man cleared his throat and Lemures reluctantly looked at him. "I would just like to say that I did not appreciate you killing my valet, Lemures. And I had to fake a broken leg to get here without those bumbling idiots so I really deserve all the appreciation I can get."  
  
"Oh, get over it Sobek. When we're through, you will have Ra himself as your valet."  
  
The Egyptian god smirked, pleased at the thought as Lemures turned back to the lady next to him. "My love, I thought you were to stay with the young princesses tonight?"  
  
Wynne sighed, "I was supposed to but Giselle slipped off. Good riddance to the brat, I say. Keziah was with Oberon the last I saw of her."  
  
Narcissa watched this whole scene in horror but the mention of her daughter's names jolted her back to the reality of her situation. "You insect!" she spat out to the fairy.  
  
Wynne crossed over to the queen, "Quiet, you little blister. In just days, the entire fae community will be in chains like yours. Powerless… alone…"  
  
Her face was inches from Narcissa's, snarling out the words. The queen snarled back and spit in the fairy's face.  
  
Lemures hurried over at Wynne's cry.  
  
"Kill her! We don't need her!"  
  
"Yes, we do, love…" he growled in the young queen's direction, "She's our ticket to the thrones of the Fae Court. Look, I've already written the ransom note. Either I get the crown of Narcissa's kingdom or she dies. Then, after the ceremony and the killing of the King and Queen, we put everyone into chains. Or kill them, whichever you want, my sweet."  
  
"They die," Wynne responded bitterly, "Titania and her crew always treated me as the old maid, the one who did not deserve anyone and now they'll pay. They will die."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Oberon paced in the cavernous ballroom as Titania sat weeping on her daughter's throne. An envelope materialized in a wisp of smoke in front of the Fae King. He stooped down to retrieve the blank white stationary.  
  
He frowned as he opened it. "It says that I must allow Lemures to marry Narcissa… or she dies," the majestic fae stated. Keziah began to cry and Oros turned pale. Oberon turned to his family and lifted his chin slightly, "We cannot lose faith that Jareth, Puck and Sobek will find and capture Lemures. And save my daughter."  
  
Suddenly, the double doors opened at the top of the staircase and a single, limping man came in.  
  
"Sobek!" Ion called out, "What news? Where are the others? And where is the queen?"  
  
The fae allowed the men to help him down the stairs and to the thrones before he began. "It was an awful fight. Only I got away alive," he paused while the women started sobbing and the men clutched their chests in shock, "I'm afraid my queen… Lemures got away… with the young queen."  
  
"Then she's still alive?" cried out Titania.  
  
"Barely," he responded, despondent. He stood up and limped to the windows, brushing off attempts to help him. Turning back to the others, he continued, "There is one thing Lemures told me to tell you…"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"He told me to remind you that… well," he hesitated and then stood up straight, putting his full weight on his leg, "no one can ever be trusted." Sobek broke into a grin and snapped his fingers. The doors flew open and hundreds of lemures came flowing in.  
  
"Happy Birthday to me," he sneered as the fae fell underneath the power of the demons.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: Another cliffhanger… I'm becoming truly evil… ( R/R! 


	16. Past Prophecy

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 14:  
  
Narcissa looked into the mirror, listening to the music floating through the floor. Her gown was a pale green, trimmed in white lace and sequins. Something that the young queen would normally enjoy wearing.  
  
But not today. As she placed the pearl circlet with the veil on her head, tears slid down her cheeks.  
  
The door cracked open and Sobek's head popped in. "It's time," he sneered towards her.  
  
Ten minutes later, Narcissa stood in her ballroom with her back to a thousand guests. The man next to her kept a firm hold upon her elbow, bruising it slightly. The young queen was not the only one crying; Oberon stood in front of her, murmuring false words about what marriage should mean to her and her betrothed. His eyes were brimmed with salty droplets, threatening to show themselves.  
  
The man next to her turned to the queen and raised his hands to remove her veil. Narcissa blinked rapidly. She didn't even hear her father say the last line. Were they really married already?  
  
The veil came off slowly and she closed her eyes, not wanting to see her new husband. She felt a warm, wet hand upon her face and her eyes flew open.  
  
And she screamed.  
  
Thor was in front of her, but only she would have known it. His face was covered in blood, as was his hand. His clothes were torn and dirty. He looked at Narcissa, unaffected by the scream. Deep sadness emanated from him as he backed up a little.  
  
Narcissa stared at him and finally found her voice, "Thor… Oh my father! Can you not help him?" She looked wildly towards Oberon, only to discover he had disappeared. All the guests were gone too. They were not even in the ballroom anymore, but in a dark forest.  
  
Her husband stretched out a hand, but when she did not take it, let it fall limply to his side. "Look to those which are hidden, 'Cissa," he croaked.  
  
Spirits filled the air and surrounded Thor. He looked longingly at the queen and then faded into nothing.  
  
"No! Thor!" she cried out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Having bad dreams, my dear?" Lemures laughed down at her. Wynne snickered by the fire. He was still laughing as he went out to gather wood.  
  
Narcissa groaned. Her head hurt from falling asleep on the stone and she had just had a nightmare in which her dead husband had come to her. Just like when he had first died.  
  
The queen sat bolt upright. She was wide-awake now. Muttering so that Wynne could not hear her Narcissa went through her memories of those old dreams and of the times with Thor before he died.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sobek glanced up sharply and drew a relieved breath to see it was only Lemures coming in. "Good, you're here. I need help with this." He motioned to the floor, littered with bodies of both fae and mortals.  
  
Lemures frowned, "This wasn't supposed to happen yet. I wanted them to actually finish reading the ransom note before being attacked."  
  
The Egyptian fae shrugged, "It works better this way. We don't have to mess with interfering immortals while we work out the finer points of our plan."  
  
"Very well, but remember that this is only temporary. You must modify their memories; they can't remember your betrayal. This is just to buy time."  
  
"Why did we even bother knocking them unconscious with the spirits' help if we were just going to wake them up again? I say just kill them now and be done with it. Then, the important fae are gone and you can carry on with your plan."  
  
Lemures put his head in his hands, "This whole plan is not legal unless I marry the heir to the throne. If we killed them and I was crowned king, anyone could walk in and take it away. And I couldn't stop them, not without Oberon's power."  
  
"Which you'll get once you've gotten the crown, legally?"  
  
The evil fae nodded, "I will get both his political and magical power. And there's the added bonus too. Everyone who isn't aware of Narcissa's… um, feelings towards me, will believe the deaths after the marriage are just unfortunate events and not part of any greater plot. Now, I must attend to our little queen but I will come back soon. Carry on."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Narcissa sat quietly with her eyes closed. Trying to remember…  
  
Sounds of giggling floated across the garden to her. She smiled and placed a hand on her husband's arm but when she looked up into his face, she could see he was not happy.  
  
He returned her gaze and patted her hand absentmindedly.  
  
"What's wrong, husband?"  
  
He glanced over to their twins, who circled their older sister. "I just have a feeling I won't see our children on their wedding days."  
  
The queen frowned at her husband's words. He had the uncanny gift for guessing the future. She hoped this was not one of those times.  
  
He must have seen her insecurity because he smiled and bent down to whisper in her ear, "I will always protect you. Never think you can't call upon me for help. We are best friends and no harm shall come to you if I have anything to say about it."  
  
"Stop talking like that. You aren't going anywhere…"  
  
"You don't know that," he murmured, with a small tear in his eye.  
  
Within a month of their conversation, he was dead. And then the dreams began. He didn't come to her often, but he always had a kind word and plenty of information. She was lucky her generals did not ask how she knew where the opposing army was camping, or they would have thought she was a raving lunatic. Many suitors were turned away upon his advice. She started sleeping more and more, hoping for a minute's conversation. Finally, he told her he would not be returning to her dreams any longer.  
  
"Why?" she said, crying even in her sleep.  
  
"You need to live…"  
  
"I am living! But it's without you…"  
  
He frowned at her, "I cannot come anymore my darling. I hope you can understand one day. They need you. Our subjects, our friends… our children." He paused and began to fade, "Trust those who are hidden." She stepped towards him, but he was gone…  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Very weird I know… now R/R! 


	17. Prisoners

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 15:  
  
It was daylight by the time Jareth and Puck found the cave. As they approached the entrance, the Goblin King grabbed the trickster's arm, "Look… near the mouth of the cave… those are the same spirits I saw before the queen disappeared…"  
  
Puck grumbled, "Good. Then we can kick Lemures to the moon, get Narcissa and get out of this creepy forest."  
  
"What? Are you scared, Trickster?" Jareth grinned bemusedly.  
  
"No… but don't you think it's strange that your ridiculous crystal ball led us in circles all night and then immediately changed course, bringing us here?" Jareth shrugged as Puck continued, "If you ask me, this is a trap."  
  
"You're just a pessimist."  
  
"No, I'm a realist."  
  
"I wouldn't have expected this sort of behavior from a fae who calls himself the Trickster. Aren't you supposed to be crazy and fun-loving?"  
  
Puck frowned, "Not when it comes to 'Cissa's safety. I normally am what you call 'fun-loving' and all that."  
  
"Oh yeah," Jareth rolled his eyes, "That's clear as day."  
  
"Would you two stop bickering and get in there? Such childish antics… right in front of the cave holding your queen," the voice reverberated through their minds.  
  
"What did you say?" The two young kings looked at each other in surprise and then at the cave's mouth.  
  
"See? Creepy I tell you…" Puck was muttering. Jareth stared at him for a moment but he did not have time to consider the source of the voice; Narcissa was in that cave.  
  
They crawled in.  
  
"Ah! But we have visitors!" Lemures grinned wickedly from the back of the cavern. "I'll just wait until your eyes have adjusted and then we can all sit and have a nice talk, shall we?"  
  
Puck growled, "You're being awfully polite considering the amount of trouble you're in, Lemures. Kidnapping, treason, murder and blackmail are the ones that come to mind just at this moment."  
  
The evil fae smiled even wider, "Yes, well, you see… I have no reason to fear you. The way I see it, I hold all the cards. And what do you have? A few little trinkets you affectionately call crystals."  
  
Jareth stepped forward, "We are far more powerful than you."  
  
Lemures shrugged, "If you say so, my friend." He snapped his fingers, conjuring three chairs out of thin air. "Please, sit."  
  
The two kings remained standing but the evil fae took no heed and moved towards the largest, most comfortable chair. As he walked away from the wall, his shadow slid off the young woman in the corner.  
  
"Narcissa!" cried Puck. The queen looked up and the trickster nearly fell backwards in shock. Her eyes were red and watery, her hair was a wreck and he could see the grime all over her once beautiful clothes and ivory skin. She opened her cracked, dry mouth to speak but simply did not have the energy to call out. Instead, she huddled down onto the floor in a small heap.  
  
Lemures grinned, "Not your beautiful queen anymore is she? Ah well, hopefully she'll clean up a bit before our wedding day."  
  
Puck stalked forward, his hands rolled into fists. Seeing his anger, Jareth moved to restrain him. A burst of color flashed by and hit the Goblin King's hand out of the way.  
  
"Wynne!"  
  
The fairy looked up from the ground, where she sat leaning over the unconscious trickster. "I say I did a good job of tackling the lad, don't you love?"  
  
The evil fae leaned over slightly, "I can tell that we won't have to worry about him for awhile, that's for sure, my dear. Good work. Now, keep the troll leader under control."  
  
"They're goblins," Jareth corrected automatically as Wynne pushed him towards the cave wall. "And you," he spat, "how could you do this to Narcissa?"  
  
"Quite easily. I asked and asked for a husband, but her precious family thought I didn't deserve the man I wanted to marry," she sneered, "Now I have the most powerful fae in the world; the one that will kill everyone who stands in his way of complete domination. And I shall be his queen." With a flick of her wrist, Jareth was bound into chains identical to the queen's. He looked to his companion but Puck lay on the floor, bleeding from a head wound. Jareth sighed; their mission had already failed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Oberon groaned as he sat up. He felt like he had been hitting his head against a brick wall repeatedly.  
  
"Sire!" someone called, "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yes, thank you," he responded, not feeling alright at all.  
  
"Ugh, I feel like I have an enormous hangover," complained Ion.  
  
"A hangover?" questioned Giselle. She already looked perfect again. Her hair was swept up and her rosy skin made it look as if she had just come out of a warm, cheerful room. Ion glanced around and saw that the others already seemed refreshed as well.  
  
"Fae," he muttered. Although he was immortal, his human mother's blood allowed him to feel the full effects of inebriation. As his father, Apollo put it, "Lucky you."  
  
"What happened, husband?" Titania asked, putting her hand on the Fae King's forearm. All she could remember was sitting on her daughter's throne, crying after the search party had left.  
  
"I have no idea, but I don't like it. Too many things are going on that I know nothing about," he sighed and lowered his voice so only his wife could hear, "I fear that I'm losing power, just as Jareth is. Perhaps I should turn over my crown, at least until this crisis is over."  
  
Titania frowned, "No, we need you. You're not losing anything. Besides, who would you leave in charge? Our heir who is the one missing? Or your assistant, who left to look for our daughter? No, love, you must take charge."  
  
Oberon sighed again, "I just am so tired."  
  
The old royal couple stood side by side for a few moments. Soon, a new cry declared that there was a letter on the ground. It was for the King.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lemures sat dozing by the fire while Wynne prepared their dinner. If the scene had taken place in a cottage without the presence of hostages, it would have been quite normal. But the hostages were there and instead of a cottage, it was a cave.  
  
Jareth looked over to his queen. He had never seen anyone so angry yet so composed. She calmly stroked Puck's cheek, who was still unconscious. Lemures had moved his body to Narcissa and put the insensible fae in chains. Jareth thought it was ridiculous but he was thankful that Puck was receiving attention for his wound. Every once in awhile, he heard tearing sounds of Narcissa ripping strips of her dress to cover Puck's wound. She nursed him as well as she could without powers and without water.  
  
"How did you learn that?" he softly spoke to her, while she checked on Puck.  
  
She shrugged, "Most immortals think it's unnecessary to learn mortal techniques of medicine but I have always believed it was important. Luckily for me, the Greek fae of medicine, Apollo, agrees with me and taught me everything he knew."  
  
"You seem to know a lot about mortal's methods."  
  
"It happens," she replied, slightly annoyed. This was dangerous ground and she just did not want to talk right now. Her affiliations with mortals were a touchy subject.  
  
Jareth seemed to take the hint and fell silent. The pain in his wrists was getting worse and he longed to ask Narcissa for help, but he didn't.  
  
Suddenly he felt warmth in his hands and arms. The Goblin King twisted around to see what was happening and realized his wrists were healing.  
  
"That's odd, to say the least," he mumbled in his soft English accent.  
  
A soft moan answered. The trickster was waking up.  
  
"Don't move too fast, Puck," whispered Narcissa, "Let me look at that head of yours." She pulled away the bandage and gasped quietly. It was healing before her eyes. She looked to her own injuries and realized that they were repairing themselves as well.  
  
"What does this mean?" Jareth whispered fiercely, "Is it some kind of trick? Magic isn't supposed to work within these chains." He hated being confused.  
  
"No, not when we do it but others can perform magic on us," the young queen said simply. Her eyes darted around wildly.  
  
Lemures stirred in his sleep by the fire as a cool breeze rushed through the cave. Wynne looked up from her food preparations and frowned.  
  
"Lemures," she murmured, "I think we have trouble coming."  
  
The evil fae sat up and stared reproachfully at his hostages. "What is this trickery of yours, 'Cissa?" he breathed.  
  
The queen closed her eyes and leaned back against the cool rock wall. "I wouldn't know, Lemures. I'm in these chains, remember?" Her eyes shot open and she scowled, "And don't call me 'Cissa."  
  
He moved towards her and raised his hands. Before he could do anything, the air turned frigidly cold.  
  
"Oh no," moaned Wynne.  
  
The fire went out and they were plunged into darkness.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 


	18. Bad Fortunes

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 16:  
  
"He can't do this! Can he, Grandfather?"  
  
"I'm afraid he can, Giselle," answered the Fae King, "If he has my consent to marry Narcissa, he will become heir to the throne. And he knows I will give my consent since he holds her life in his hands."  
  
"But… but…" stuttered Keziah, trying to think of a way out of the awful circumstances, "What would happen if we arrested him when he came with her for the wedding? You know, give our consent now and go back on it later."  
  
"I can't do that, little one. I would have to swear by the river Styx and I can't break that oath, you know that. If I agree to the marriage, then I must hold to that contract. And," he continued, seeing the look of protest on his family's faces, "if someone else breaks it for me, I must punish them according to our law. Which usually means that fae becoming mortal."  
  
"It's not so bad," Morpheus wheezed from the step of the dais, "Not to have your powers I mean. Being mortal does lend oneself to sickness though. For example, I don't feel so well at the moment." He fell to his knees.  
  
"Morpheus!" cried Keziah and Titania together. They rushed forward.  
  
The Fae Queen looked up, "I think that dizziness we experienced was much more than a passing feeling. It seems to have affected Morpheus a great deal."  
  
The dream fae coughed and Keziah gazed with soulful eyes at the group. "I'm afraid, Grandmother, that Morpheus is not merely sick from that dizzy spell we had. He needs his powers back, his immortality. I think he's dying."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The pitch black only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough. The chains silently fell off the wrists of Jareth, Narcissa and Puck. Jareth could have sworn he heard a cloak sweep across the floor as the shackles dropped.  
  
Soon, a blinding light illuminated the cave. Lemures held a lantern above his head and frowned. "I suppose those chains weren't perfect," he observed.  
  
"That's what you get for stealing them," snarled Puck. He staggered a bit as he rose. Narcissa caught him quickly but it was too late; Lemures had noticed.  
  
"Feeling a tad under the weather, Trickster?"  
  
"Better than I did immediately after your guard dog attacked me."  
  
Wynne scowled but held her tongue. Puck was just trying to cloud her senses with anger, she knew that.  
  
"Wynne, stop that," Lemures ordered.  
  
"Stop what?"  
  
"That whispering. It's annoying. I can't think straight."  
  
"I promise you, I haven't said a word." Her voice quivered slightly. Something was very wrong. She was scared.  
  
Lemures' eyes remained on his captives. He knew they couldn't escape without facing his spirits, but it was still unnerving to see them free and unmarked. Even Narcissa's dress looked cleaner than he thought it should. The whispering became louder but he still could not understand it. He desperately wanted to cover his ears, but he could not stop watching the hostages. They were dangerous now that they were free. He had to chain them up again. The whispering went up another level. The evil fae gave in and dropped to his knees, covered his ears and the lantern fell, immersing them in darkness once again. He felt Wynne come to his side but could not hear her urgent pleas for instructions.  
  
He just screamed out. The whispering had not stopped and he felt like he was going insane. Finally, his screams formed words, "Stop them! Stop them! They're trying to escape! Stop them!"  
  
The phantoms poured into the cave and blocked the entrance. Their ethereal glows gave some visibility but Lemures still felt weak. The whispering had stopped though. Or, if it did not, the noise of the spirits had drowned it out. Soon he was on his feet. He clenched his jaw and turned his tiny black eyes all around. The three fae were about twenty yards away, trying to fend off his subjects.  
  
His back straightened and Lemures smiled. Things were under control again.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sobek slowed down as he traversed the forest. In five minutes, he would be back to the warm fire of the cave. He laughed to himself, that idiot, Lemures, was probably trying to intimidate the queen at that exact moment.  
  
Lemures was making this much too difficult, Sobek mused. The plan had so many flaws; one of which Sobek would take advantage of. He admitted it would be nice to marry the young queen, but sole power was so much more gratifying. He would allow Lemures to kill the important fae and then let the idiot try and kill Narcissa. It was obvious the 'evil' fae was in love with her; a sick love perhaps, but still love. He could never kill the gentle girl. Sobek would do it and then he would kill Lemures. Most of the other fae liked him; they would fall all over themselves to declare him as their King.  
  
A breeze swept past and Sobek shivered. Something was wrong, he could feel it.  
  
The sound of a twig snapping made him whirl around.  
  
"Who's there?" he called, trying to sound brave. A deer walked through the trees fifty yards away, looking at him.  
  
Breathing a sigh of relief he turned back towards the cave.  
  
The doe in the distance ran at the sound of the Egyptian's scream.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Apollo came out of the room, shaking his head. The others crowded around him.  
  
"What is wrong with him?" Oberon asked softly.  
  
"He was already weak from the power transfer and the strong spell you all endured just impacted the blow."  
  
"Will he recover?"  
  
"I have no idea. I have never seen something like this. And I thought I had seen it all. Most fae stay home quietly after a power transfer, something that happens rarely anyway. Add a spell that I don't recognize and I'm mystified. But if he doesn't get his powers back soon, he probably will die."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Review please! 


	19. Rejuvenation

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 17:  
  
Narcissa was more terrified than she had ever been in her life. The spirits were creeping closer with every second and she knew that her magic or battle skills would not help her in any way. A single tear formed in her eye. She was going to die, just as her husband did so many years ago. She felt the drain on her powers, which were already weak after hours in the chains.  
  
The Goblin King felt sick as well. If the strong, young queen was collapsing beside him, he knew that he could not last long. His chest began to seize up and he fell to one knee. He grabbed at his pendant, the heirloom passed down to him by his father. Another cold object hit his hand and realization swept over him. Morpheus's pendant was there; Jareth was still harboring his powers. If he died, Morpheus died. A crease formed above his eyes in determination. He could not allow his recklessness destroy another life. Jareth forced his head up, glared at Lemures and called out, "You have been the cause of too many deaths, monster! Something here wants us to win, and so we will. And in the process, we will kill you."  
  
Lemures scoffed, "And how do you propose to do that, Goblin King? No one is here but you and perhaps Death! You are seeing hallucinations you idiotic creature!"  
  
"A portal… A portal, Jareth. That will get rid of the phantoms," someone whispered. They seemed to be right next to his ear and yet sounded so far away. It must have been Narcissa, who had finally dropped to her knees like she was praying.  
  
"What? What does that mean, Narcissa?" he cried, but there was no answer. The queen had gone into a dead faint. Puck was not looking much better off; his flailing became less deliberate and slower. Jareth racked his brains for the answer. A portal to where? And how was he to get a portal? Narcissa must have known that creating a portal was difficult work, even without weakened resources and ghosts flying about. He watched Lemures and growled. Jareth could not believe the evil fae would win soon. His only comfort was that Narcissa would not be harmed, for the time being. Such an image of beauty would be a waste to ruin. Suddenly, his head jerked up. He knew how to destroy the phantoms, but did he have time?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Keziah wrung her hands in frustration. Morpheus was getting worse, and despite all her years of training with Apollo, and other fae who practiced medicine, she did not know what was causing his death. His brothers Icelus and Phantasus sat across a small table from one another, completely silent. They hadn't said a word since their brother had fallen ill, in fact, and the old rumor that if one of the three died that the others would die as well came back to the princess. She desperately hoped it was not true.  
  
"I am no healer, Grandmother, if I cannot save him," she said to Titania. The elder fae just held her granddaughter and told her that there was no way to know and that she could not blame herself.  
  
"But if I just knew what that spell was, I could reverse it and Morpheus would live until Jareth came back with Mother."  
  
"I know, child. But the Fates might have decided it was time for a fae to die. It happens, little one, and no one can stop it."  
  
Ion came into the room where they all sat waiting for the inevitable news of Morpheus's death. "I'm afraid I have more bad tidings," he whispered, "All the servants are gone, they are afraid. Of course, this has alerted the other guests to the death this palace holds."  
  
"Forget them," Oros said through gritted teeth, "If they cannot respect a time such as this, let them leave. All of them." The rest murmured agreement and then fell to silence again.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jareth held up a crystal. It was smoky inside and he knew that it would be last one he ever produced if it did not work. It glowed milky white and the light streamed towards the phantoms.  
  
Lemures frowned; this did not look good. "Wynne! Help me stop them! Now!" he screamed. The relief of gaining control was utterly gone, replaced by panic. The fae lunged forward, through the spirits to where Jareth stood. He reached the Goblin King in three long strides. The light pushed the ghosts back. Or were they fleeing? Lemures thought in fear. He could not pause to think about it and pushed the crystal from Jareth's hand. It fell and lost its glow, rolling away in the dark.  
  
Meanwhile, Wynne shrieked and attacked the exhausted Puck. "This time I'll finish you, Trickster!" she yelled. She tried to produce a weapon but found that the spirits were having the same effect on her as they did on Puck. But she was more accustomed to the drain and had not suffered serious injuries; she still held the advantage. Wings ripped through the back of her dress as she dove for a sharp rock. The blast of air from her beating wings pushed Puck back onto the rock wall. The jarring sensation brought him to his senses and he realized that he was living a nightmare. The Scottish fairy screeched and threw a rock; Puck dodged it just in time. He sighed as she went for another rock, "This day isn't going very well. What I wouldn't give for a warm fire and a good book."  
  
"Where is Sobek?" cried Lemures in distress. He was grappling with Jareth, both trying to feel the ground for the crystal and fight simultaneously. The demons were even affecting Lemures; it was the only factor that was keeping Jareth alive. They were almost on equal terms now, with Jareth's physical strength and Lemures' remaining magical strength pitted against one another.  
  
Jareth felt something hit his foot and roll away. His frustration fueled a powerful push towards Lemures and then he ran to search for the crystal. But Lemures gained his footing quickly and came up again. He kicked the Goblin King in the stomach and punched his jaw. Jareth stumbled backwards for a few feet and then tripped. He landed next to an unconscious Narcissa. He only spared her a quick glance, noting the blood on her face and the spirits that surrounded her body.  
  
Jumping to his feet, Jareth went to Lemures once again. The fae had no time to react as the Goblin King vaulted into his side. They rolled towards the cave's entrance. As soon as they stopped, the two both moved to grab the sharp stone beside them.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Apollo came into the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. He turned and surveyed the waiting fae. Many of them were not even sitting, but suspended an inch from their chairs in anxiety.  
  
The fae walked over to Keziah, who looked very tired and pale. He put his hand on her shoulder, "He wants to see you."  
  
"Me?" she turned her face up to her teacher and mentor. Her whisper was so inaudible that no one except Apollo heard it.  
  
"Yes. He's been asking for you."  
  
Another question formed on her lips but she did not ask. Instead, she stood up and walked to the door and went through without looking back to her family. They all admired her for her composure while going to see a dying man. But once out in the hall, great tears flowed from Keziah's big brown eyes. It took a minute to wipe them away before she allowed herself to enter the dying fae's room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 


	20. Confessional

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 18:  
  
Lemures got to the rock first and brought it down upon Jareth's shoulder. The cave vibrated with the roar of pain from the Goblin King. He felt the bones shatter and the rock cut through the skin. The evil fae rolled over and got onto his feet. The king was still on the ground in agony. Lemures kicked him brutally in the stomach and ran to find the crystal.  
  
Puck was not having any more luck than Jareth. The Scottish fairy had pinned him to wall and was threatening to pull his arms out of his sockets. Puck fought as hard as he could but had to realize that his strength was failing him. "You are mine, Trickster!" growled Wynne. Anger had transformed her once small pretty face into a snarling monster.  
  
"Sorry, kid, I just don't think it would work out between us," Puck responded, not being able to help it. He wrenched his arm free of her grasp and tore at her wings. She howled in distress and turned to see her wing hanging limply.  
  
"You!" she screamed, "I will never be able to fly again!"  
  
"Always believed insects shouldn't be able to fly. Makes them even more annoying, don't you think?" He grinned maliciously and bounded away. Under his carefree exterior, all he wanted was to protect his lord's daughter. Narcissa still lay on the dirt, hardly breathing. Puck swatted at the ghosts, feeling as if he was in polar waters. They sucked all the warmth out of him and so when the fairy finally caught up to him, Puck was not very happy. He whirled upon her and summoned the last of his energy in a great blast of power. Wynne yelped and rocketed backwards, through a sheet of phantoms and into the wall of the cave. Puck wheezed for a few moments before he realized that his comrade had fallen.  
  
Rushing to where Jareth was, Puck observed the spirits hesitation. They had no direction without their leader. Lemures was nowhere in sight.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Keziah entered the room slowly and quietly. She did not know what to expect from the wise old fae surrounded by the fabric of the canopy bed. The room was full of drapery, not a single inch of wall was seen. It glowed dimly blue, casting a light about the bed, the only piece of furniture in the room. At the far end of the chamber, a set of tall glass doors opened onto a balcony. Stars shined down and Keziah realized that it had been over a day since Narcissa had been kidnapped. Her own silver dress whispered softly across the floor.  
  
She approached the bed and looked through the translucent cloth to the dream fae. Brown hair fell across his youthful face. It was amazing to think that he was one of the elder fae; he looked far too handsome. His eyes were closed and his breathing was minute. Daring to break the silence, she gently called his name.  
  
Immediately, Morpheus responded, "Good evening, child."  
  
"Morpheus," she said, curtseying. It was out of habit only; his eyes were still shut.  
  
"I want to tell you something, Keziah. Something that no one knows but myself. Not even your Grandfather knows," he spoke with deliberate phrases. The princess could tell he had thought this conversation over. He continued, "I am trusting this to you because I have watched you over the years and have come to realize that, of all fae, you are one of the most kind and generous. Not to say that immortals like your mother are not kind and generous but you have another quality. You have not seen the cruelty of the world yet. Not truly, and because of this, I believe that you will have the most compassion for my secret."  
  
Keziah held her breath. It was true, she was only thirty-three years old, but she did not know anyone had thought of her as anything but a silly child. Morpheus sighed, "Do you know Lemures's history?" The princess only shook her head but the dream fae knew her answer already. "He was a bright boy, actually and quite powerful. I remember everyone saying how far he would go in life. But then, tragedy came to his house. His mother and father died suddenly during a trip to the mortal world. No one knew how and no one was without grief. They were even related to your family by a marriage centuries back; a younger child of a noble decided to marry for love, not power, to a 'common' fae. So although they had been minor fae, they were extremely considerate and loving. Then, it was discovered that the boy, Lemures, had power over the spirits of the wicked and that these spirits had consumed the lives of Lemures's parents."  
  
"How awful," breathed Keziah, not able to stop interrupting, "So he did it accidentally?"  
  
"Yes, he did. Unfortunately, the rest of the fae were furious. No one should have power over evil like that. Lemures was shunned and hated. It is no wonder that he grew up to despise us all. We acted unforgivably towards him; he was just a child, eight or so, and no one cared enough to take him in. We, in fact, feared him. Ironic, isn't it?" he asked with a weak smile, "Our fear and hatred caused this crises, nothing else. If we had looked past his strange abilities and taught him how to use them properly, our society would have one less problem. Ah, but we will reap what we sow, as the mortals say."  
  
There was a pause. "What happened then, Morpheus?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Apollo paused in the hall while Ion passed by silently. The young Athenian king stared straight ahead, ignoring his father. The powerful fae shook his head in despair and sighed audibly.  
  
Ion faltered but chose to continue, until a voice broke out.  
  
"My son! Please, talk to me," Apollo called out. The young king turned to face his hated father.  
  
"Don't you dare call me your son! I am no fae's son in spirit; my true father is Xuthus, my mother's husband, who raised me to be king of Athens. I have avoided you for a long time, I can certainly stand to avoid you for centuries to come."  
  
"Why are you so bitter towards me, Ion? Your mother loved me, why shouldn't you?"  
  
"My mother is dead, Apollo. And she never loved you. You forced yourself upon her and then left her to bear me alone in a cave. Only with the greatest luck did I survive and find Creusa again."  
  
Apollo stared at him incredulously, "Is that what they told you? That I raped your mother and abandoned her?"  
  
Ion gave him a hard glare and remained silent.  
  
"Oh, gods… they did tell you that. No wonder we've never talked civilly. Why didn't you tell me? Never mind, I know why; you weren't talking to me," he sighed in exasperation. "Listen to me, Ion. I never touched your mother without her consent. We were in love, we truly were. Your mother became scared when she got pregnant… she left and didn't tell me where she had gone. Back then, being unmarried and with child spelled death. After she had you, she left you in that cave. When she came back and you were gone, she blamed me, although the priestess had picked you up. She swore me off and married Xuthus."  
  
"Why should I believe you?"  
  
"Why shouldn't you? I am the fae of truth… I am incapable of telling a lie. I loved Creusa, but I can't help it if she decided that I was the cause of all her problems. She left me, Ion, not the other way around. And if I had known about you back then, I would have raised you as a fae should be raised."  
  
Ion looked at his hands. It would have been nice to learn to control his powers, but he was also happy the way his life turned out as it was. "I shall think about your words," he murmured before leaving.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Puck leaned over Jareth and was greeted by a pool of blood surrounding the king. The trickster touched his shoulder lightly and saw that it had become utterly useless. The Goblin King moaned in pain. He gently pushed Jareth to a more comfortable position and then mumbled, "I'll be right back. I must see to the queen."  
  
"Watch for Lemures. He has the crystal. You must get to the crystal. It will send the spirits back to hell."  
  
Puck stopped dead and turned back to the Goblin King, "But… you are the only one that can use it! I have no gift for those crys…"  
  
Jareth interrupted, wheezing in pain, "It doesn't matter. Once the hand of a person who is loyal to Oberon touches it, it will work it's magic by itself." He put his head down and the trickster grimaced to see the Goblin King's blond hair turn red from his own blood. He had to get away from the sight.  
  
Puck stumbled over to Narcissa. Her breathing was easier now, but her forehead had crusted blood on it and she was still unconscious. "Wonderful," he murmured, "I'm stuck in this cave with a lunatic searching for a little glass ball and a ticked off fairy. And no one to share the experience with me." He looked up to check on Wynne and his breath caught in his throat. No one was there. He groaned, "This can't be good."  
  
"I disagree, my friend. This is quite a fortunate turn of events."  
  
Puck groaned again. Directly behind him, Lemures stood. One hand was wrapped around the waist of a sour looking fairy. The other held the crystal.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Morpheus was in a small coughing fit and Keziah frowned as he rejected all her moves to help. Finally, the coughs subsided. The princess's brown eyes were wrought with concern. She had never received anything but kindness and compassion from this man. She remembered with a slight jolt that he was her godfather as well. Her parents must have loved the fae enormously to give him the position of godfather over their first born child. Keziah shook her head, realizing that she had thought of her mother in the past tense. "She's alive," she whispered to herself, "Have faith."  
  
The dream fae waited patiently for Keziah to raise her head before he continued. "I feared Lemures along with the rest but something about him made me, and my brothers, fear him even more than the others. He controlled the wicked dead from the Underworld. As you know, Death and Sleep are closely related, especially in the Greek fae culture. They are, in fact, the brothers Thanatos and Hypnos. It terrified me to see Lemures have complete control over something so close to my own domain of power. And so, without anyone's help, I decided to do something about it."  
  
"I approached Lemures one night when he was about fifteen. Full grown in shape, but not in mind and I worked this, sadly, to my advantage. I told him that no one would ever care for him if he continued to have ultimate power over the spirits of the dead. I went on to say that the power should have been given to Hades, if anyone. He must have received it by a freak accident. Lemures was already fragile at that point and nearly broke down. He clutched at my robes and cried out, 'I never meant anyone harm, least of all my parents. Please teach me to control it.' But I turned from his pleas and told him that the only way anyone would receive him again was if he gave up that particular power completely. 'Please,' he pleaded, 'I have no other powers to speak of. That's all I have left. I am only a minor fae, how can I get by without even that one unique ability?' His speech only succeeded in alarming me more. As the minutes dragged on, I noticed he became more and more resentful. Finally, I gave in. To a point."  
  
Keziah watched wide-eyed. She had never pictured Morpheus as the cruel, calculating type. "What did you do?" she breathed.  
  
"I gave him conditions. He had to give up his capability almost completely. The only allowance I made was that he could call upon the spirits for every hundred years he lived. The other restriction was that the lemures could only be in our world for a fortnight, no more," Morpheus paused, "So I placed that spell upon him but no one noticed. Of course, I had gotten my security so I didn't care all that much. But he became bitter and cold and well… you see what he has become. A killer and a traitor."  
  
"But, that wasn't your fault!" Keziah insisted.  
  
The fae gave a weak smile, "Yes, I'm afraid it is, my dear. I know the fae society. It would have taken a couple more years but as soon as another crises struck, Lemures's strange ability would have been forgotten. It was forgotten, actually. The fae all dislike him because he has become so bitter and cruel." He sighed. Despite everything, he felt better now. The two-and-a-half century-old secret was out.  
  
While the princess gazed at him, Morpheus fell into a deep sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Interesting little contraption, really," said Lemures, twirling the crystal. "Amazing that something so small can hold so much power. It's too bad that I must smash it."  
  
Puck glared at Lemures and shivered. The phantoms were holding him to the ground. Some floated around Lemures. The trickster could hear a soft whispering.  
  
"No!" screamed the evil fae suddenly. He stalked towards the cave's entrance, followed by a few of the ghosts. Wynne looked on nervously as Lemures began to talk, seemingly to himself, "How many times must I tell you? You are under my control. Not one of you little rodents are to be released after this is over."  
  
The entire cave shook with the soft but insistent hiss of the phantoms, "But you promised…"  
  
"So sorry," Lemures responded in a mocking, impatient tone, "Once I gain control of the fae empire, I will need you constantly. The curse will be undone and you will be my slaves."  
  
Wynne shook perceptibly. Her broken wing hung pathetically but at the moment, she did not seem to notice, or care. "Maybe," she started, "you should listen to them, my love. They are powerful creatures."  
  
"They are powerful because I made them that way!" screeched Lemures. He was irate.  
  
The crystal still rested in his hand and Puck eyed it, wondering how to get to it. All he had to do was touch it and wait for the phantoms to disappear. Meanwhile, the evil fae yelled louder. "No one helped me reach this point! I had to do this myself! And if I wish to hold onto my power… the gods help whoever tries to stop me."  
  
He had backed up to the dark stone circle, which had held a blazing fire only a short time ago. Lemures held up the crystal and was about to dash it to the ground when a jet of black came towards him.  
  
The small glass sphere flew up into the air and towards the sharp rocks. Puck closed his eyes, not wanting to see the undoing of the fae culture.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Review people!  
  
By the way – the story of Creusa and Ion was taken directly from mythology. She was a king's daughter, was raped by Apollo and bore a child. When she went back to the cave, she saw the boy was gone. Later she married Xuthus and they went to Delphi to try to get a blessing for having a child. Apollo's priests told Xuthus that Ion, the foundling altar boy, was now his son. Creusa recognized some belongings of Ion's, and realized she had found her son. Athena appears and says that Ion is Apollo's son and will become king of Athens.  
  
We're in the final stretch here… so once again I must thank everyone who has reviewed and of course, my wonderful beta reader: Baloo. 


	21. Old Friends

I'm so sorry this took so long – it's been written for ages but lately, I haven't gotten home until 10 or 11 at night… being a senior is extremely exhausting (graduation in one month!)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 19:  
  
It landed in the outstretched palm of Narcissa. She looked at it in wonder, completely unaware of its importance.  
  
Puck, not hearing the inevitable smashing sound, opened his eyes. Everyone was looking at Narcissa in shock. Rather, they were looking at the glass sphere in her hand in shock. The trickster recovered first, "Hold it tightly, 'Cissa!"  
  
The command was unnecessary. Light began to stream forward from the crystal's depths once again. It spread quickly this time, almost aware of the danger in the air. The beams hit the ghosts and a rushing noise filled the cavern. The lemures were being sucked into the glass orb. Thousands were reduced to hundreds in seconds. Narcissa, finally understanding, held the crystal with reverence and determination. A hiss rose quickly, "If we go, you go too. To hell, evil one!"  
  
Lemures screamed as his own subjects caught hold of him. They dragged him to the crystal and, so quickly that Puck was not sure how it happened, he became an unsolid form and flowed into the sphere. Within moments, the cave was dark and quiet once more. Puck stood and conjured a ball of flame in his hand. His powers were already returning.  
  
"'Cissa! Are you alright?" he immediately turned to her.  
  
"Fine. Just a splitting headache."  
  
The trickster looked around. Wynne was on the ground in a dead faint and farther into the corner was Sobek. Narcissa gasped as the light fell upon him and rushed towards the crevice. "He's dead," she said bleakly. She had secretly hoped to punish Sobek for his betrayal herself.  
  
Puck came over softly. "That's strange," he murmured, "How did he get here? His leg… it doesn't even look broken."  
  
The queen did not hear him, "We must take his body back with us. As well as Wynne. Where's Jareth?"  
  
It was Puck's turn to gasp as he raced over to Jareth, by the cave's entrance. Narcissa came after him but stopped short when she saw the blood on Jareth's black – clothed body. Attacking Lemures had sent him into unconsciousness. "He's so pale, Puck," she sobbed.  
  
"Come, we must get him back as quickly as possible."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Titania and Oberon waited solemnly in the antechamber of Narcissa's apartments. Their joy of her return quickly faded when they saw the state of the trio. Puck and the young queen were on the point of collapse and Jareth was in critical condition. Sobek's body and the discovery of Wynne's betrayal brought more distress to the old royal couple.  
  
Four people came into the room from different directions: Keziah from Morpheus's room, Apollo from Narcissa's chamber, Thoth came from Jareth's room and finally, a few seconds later, Giselle came from Puck's room. The four stood in silence until Oberon sighed, "You first, Thoth."  
  
The Egyptian fae drew himself to his full height. He never had liked Sobek much, but the death still affected his sphere of fae culture. Now, he could repair the damage somewhat by caring for the broken Goblin King. "He will be weak for quite awhile but he will recover. He needs to replenish his lost blood but the actual wound will heal quickly enough. I even see signs of his powers returning."  
  
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Apollo and Giselle stepped forward. The young queen and her best friend would be fine as well. A little worse for wear, but nothing more. Finally, Keziah spoke up about her patient. "His powers were returned quickly enough, but he is still quite sick," she paused, taking in the concerned faces, "I think that it's sufficient though. He will survive with full abilities, as far as powers are concerned."  
  
"Thank goodness," voiced Narcissa from her doorway. Oberon frowned; his daughter should be resting. "Oh Father," she said, seeing his face, "like you really expected me to stay in bed. I never listen to the doctor's orders." Apollo looked more unhappy than Oberon did.  
  
"Let's just go to the library, okay, Father? I'll rest in there. We need to get this whole mess straightened out now."  
  
In fifteen minutes, a large group of fae was assembled in the beautiful library. Narcissa settled into a warm chair by the fire and watched the sun rise in the sky over the veranda. This was the room that Lemures had watched and waited for her but strangely, the thought did not bother her. She supposed that she was simply too tired to care. Smiling to herself, she knew that as soon as she did care, the entire room would be redecorated. That would calm any thoughts about the incident.  
  
Jareth and Morpheus were helped into the room, despite both of their protestations. "I feel perfectly alright, Thoth," the Goblin King said loudly, "I have my powers and my shoulder is healing fine. I don't need your help!" In response, Thoth only nodded and proceeded to help His Majesty to his chair. Jareth sighed and gave up.  
  
Narcissa saw that everyone was there and told Puck to tell their story. When he was finished, with a little help from Jareth, Narcissa told her father what happened before the Trickster and Goblin King showed up. When she began talking of Thor, tears gathered in her eyes and by the time she was done with the part about Laeli, Titania was crying as well.  
  
Puck waited a few moments and then cleared his throat, "Well, that is all rather straight-forward, but there are a few questions. Like, what was up with Jareth's crystal before we found Narcissa? And who spoke to the two of us outside the cave? Then there was that whole incident of the chains falling off and Jareth getting advice from the voice again. And, I would love to figure out how a crystal heading for sharp rocks suddenly goes to the waiting hand of our queen."  
  
There was a deafening silence. Then, Oberon mumbled audibly, "It's time to tell them, my love." Narcissa frowned as Titania nodded. She was not sure at all that this was the time.  
  
"Actually, it would probably be best to let her explain it all," Titania responded. She looked directly at Narcissa. This time, Jareth frowned. The young queen had not been truthful with them, it seemed. But just as he was thinking this, a small servant girl stepped forward from a dark corner behind Narcissa's chair. He recognized her immediately as the maid from the kitchens, the one that was always in white, the one that was always dirty. A murmur of disapproval swept through the room. The girl barely took notice; she knew that her dress was filthy and her hair was unkempt. She curtsied to the Fae King and then to the rest of the fae.  
  
Soon, she turned back to Oberon and smiled. He gave her a small grin and gestured in the air. A blue stream emanated from his hand towards the servant girl while all the fae watched, enrapt. It swirled about her until she was completely hidden and then, as fast as it had come, the mist vanished.  
  
Jareth nearly fell out of his chair. In a gorgeous white and silver ball gown, the person before him was none other than his love, Sarah.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 


	22. Spirits Alive

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 20:  
  
"Sarah…" he whispered. The black-haired girl turned to him and smiled. She had aged since they had met that first time. But immortality never ceased to amaze Jareth; she looked like she had just celebrated her twenty- fifth birthday.  
  
"Jareth, I've missed you," she said simply. The Goblin King sat in shock for a few minutes, just like all the other fae. Finally, he stretched a hand out to her and began, of all things, to cry. Seeing the uncharacteristic tears, Sarah rushed to his side. "It's alright, Jareth. I'm here… I'm here."  
  
"How? I saw you die two hundred years ago!" It was becoming too much for him. He felt like a child, but could not stop the tears.  
  
"Yes, you did. Give me one second and I'll explain. I'll explain to all of you," she raised her voice a notch to shake the others out of their reverie.  
  
"More than two centuries ago, I was born to the Lady Titania and her Lord Oberon. My given name was Laeli," she paused as there was a collective gasp, "Yes, well, that's only the beginning, mind you. I don't know why, but I was kidnapped and taken to the mortal world and given to the Williams family. I grew up as Sarah Williams, the fanciful little girl who had no idea that she was anything but human. My kidnapper had even managed to disguise my pointed ears."  
  
"It was Lemures," Narcissa broke in, although everyone already guessed it, "He was going to wait until you were eighteen and then bring you back to receive your hand in marriage."  
  
Sarah nodded, "Yes, and that's what would have happened too, I'm sure… if it had not been for the Labyrinth. When I wished my human half-brother away, I had no idea I would face a powerful fae called the Goblin King. But I did, and I won the Labyrinth and my brother back. But the adventure had another affect on me. It awakened my magical powers. Not that I was aware of it, of course. I thought it was simply coincidental that odd things kept happening in the weeks after the Labyrinth. Then, one day when I was leaving the park, I saw a car hurtling towards me. I knew I was going to die, so imagine my surprise at waking up in a warm bed in the palace of the Fae King."  
  
"How is that possible?" Jareth spoke out, "I saw you die with my own eyes. I saw your body lying on the pavement." The tears had dried and his old demanding personality came out in full force.  
  
Sarah's eyes misted over while Titania answered his question, "It was an illusion, Jareth. We obviously knew that Laeli's kidnapper was still around and we couldn't risk that they were watching. Her death had to look real."  
  
Seeing that he was about to protest, Sarah continued, "My mortal parents had to endure my death too. It was the worst part about leaving the human world. But, my fae parents took care of me and I have learned to love them just as much as the mortal ones. They decided that they could not tell anyone of my return, because I was still in danger. Even a mortal kidnapper would be alive after fifteen years. I discovered that I also had a little sister, named Narcissa." Sarah looked at the young queen affectionately, "She was sequestered for her safety and we learned together in our secrecy. We know almost everything there is about magic, battle and so much knowledge that I hadn't even thought was possible in my mortal life. Then, it was decided that Narcissa should marry, to preserve the royal line. For although, in reality I am the heir to the Fae throne, to everyone else, it was Narcissa. You all know the story with Thor so I will not rehash that. I was placed as a servant a couple years ago in this palace to give me access to the society I will one day rule and so I could hear the rumors. Finally I determined that my kidnapper was growing restless. So we arranged this festival for a dual purpose: find a husband for Narcissa and find the kidnapper." She smiled broadly, "At least we've been successful in one of those areas. And I can finally stop being the scullery maid and get back to a real life, one without constant protection even."  
  
Jareth was angry at the deception. "That doesn't explain any of the questions Puck asked," he snapped.  
  
Sarah's face became hard, "Doesn't it? I was there to whisper those clues to you. I was the one who freed you in the cave. I was the one that guided the crystal to the cave and the one who made sure the portal crystal fell safely into my sister's hand. And… I was the one who killed Sobek."  
  
Oberon darkened, "Excuse me, young lady?" His fatherly attitude reasserted itself. No matter how happy he was to see in his daughter as something other than a servant, he could not tolerate murder.  
  
The anger that Jareth knew so well started to rise in Sarah, "I had a perfectly good reason, Father. Sobek was a traitor. I saw him on several occasions betray you."  
  
"It's true, Father," interjected Narcissa, "I forgot to mention it to Puck when we found the body; we were too concerned about Jareth. But I saw Sobek with Lemures; I heard them planning together. Apollo told me about Morpheus and his sickness. I bet you anything Sobek and Lemures thought up that little trick too. Sarah is the hidden savior that Thor spoke of so often; he knew her presence would save us all."  
  
The Fae King paused and finally nodded. Fear was rising in him, despite his attempts to quiet it. He fervently hoped that his princess had not acquired the dangerous fae trait of bloodlust.  
  
Sarah saw the trepidation in her father's features. "Father," she pleaded, "please. You must believe me. If need be, ask the traitor, Wynne. Or Thoth, who has known him for centuries. Sobek was coming to kill them, I had to do something."  
  
"I believe you, child," he responded, his voice a little duller than usual.  
  
"Well!" Titania nearly shouted, trying too hard to lift spirits, "I still think we have a festival to finish and a wedding to plan!"  
  
Narcissa inwardly groaned but one look at her father's face and she knew that her marriage would go ahead, no matter what. The other fae began to smile; one thing would go according to plan, at least.  
  
"I suggest you pick your husband tonight, daughter. For in two days, you will be wed. We expect your decision tomorrow," said Oberon quietly. He glanced around, "My fellow fae! Please, if you would exercise discretion about what has been divulged tonight, my immediate family would be most grateful. I do not want anything other than the Princess Laeli's return to be announced; nothing about the circumstances surrounding it. Meanwhile, I will send people out tonight to retrieve those guests and servants who left during the crisis. We will have reason to celebrate in two days time!"  
  
The fae filed out of the comfortable library. Soon, only Sarah and Jareth remained.  
  
"So," Jareth began, "I am in the presence of the fair Princess Laeli, whose mystery is known everywhere in the magical realm." He had recovered from his earlier shock and was realizing the harsh realities of Sarah's existence. She had lived for the past two centuries and had not released him from his torment. He knew that she had reasons, but chose to ignore them. He had been injured and was not about to forget it.  
  
Sarah frowned, "I had expected a warmer welcome than this, Jareth." She paused, "And I would just like to say that I didn't appreciate it when you sang that particular song to Narcissa."  
  
"You've been spying on me," he growled in return, "Your sister was distressed, I did nothing wrong in trying to calm her."  
  
"That was the song you sang to me!" she yelled back, letting her jealousy get the better of her. No matter how she loved her sister, it had been painful to watch that tender moment in the rose garden. "Do you sing that to everyone, Jareth? Every princess with a pretty face?"  
  
"You were dead! Or did you forget that? Two centuries, Sarah! I've been torturing myself for two centuries about loving a dead woman, only to find that she's alive and the sister of the woman I am courting! I'm sorry if that has jarred my senses a bit!"  
  
Sarah stood very still, suddenly pale. It was true; she had denied him knowledge of her existence. But only because of the dire circumstances, she thought angrily. Her mind went back to the scene in the ballroom, when Titania delivered her invitation to Jareth a month ago. It seemed ages had past, but she still remembered that countenance of anguished love on the Goblin King's face. She was being awful; Sarah had been able to visit him regularly, sometimes just to look upon his sleeping face in rare moments of peace, but he had thought of her as lost for the last two centuries. Even by fae standards, that was starting to add up.  
  
Jareth was still glaring at her. He looked so stubborn and resolute to her, despite his injuries. She walked up to him and dropped to her knees beside his chair. He looked down at her in surprise.  
  
"I am sorry, Your Majesty," she murmured humbly. This was hard for her, but she knew that she had to, so that her dreams could be fulfilled. "I have acted foolishly. Please forgive me."  
  
"Sarah…" he whispered, putting his hands around her arms and pulling her gently onto his lap. "You know that you could never anger me for too long. It's just that the past two centuries…" Jareth trailed off. He suddenly seemed very tired.  
  
"Shhh," she embraced him and he buried his head into her neck. They broke apart and he quickly came back to kiss her. She returned the kiss passionately, feeling the love he harbored for her.  
  
They separated once again and the Goblin King gave her a slight grin. "Marry me."  
  
"What?" she laughed, startled at his spontaneity.  
  
"I mean it. Marry me. Fae chose their spouses quickly like this all the time. Especially the royalty. Look at your sister, she's going to pick a husband from the ranks of men she barely knows," he grinned, sure of the answer, "Besides, I love you."  
  
Sarah bent her head to the side studying him, "All right then, I'll marry you. Even though I should make you wait for the answer, considering how overconfident you are that I'll say yes!" Her silvery laugh rippled once again. She turned serious for a moment, "And I love you as well."  
  
Jareth stood up, shaking imperceptibly while fighting the pain in his body. He quickly caught her in his arms, "That's how I knew you would say yes."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
All right… all together now… "Awwwww!" Well, one more chapter to go and then an epilogue (unless I break down the final chapter, which I might). *Dance of joy* ( 


	23. Pairs

All disclaimers apply. Narcissa is mine, as are her children… and Wynne and Lemures… I think that covers it though…  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 21: (the FINAL chapter… minus the epilogue… granted, it's rather long… eh, on with it)  
  
The queen sat on to the hill, looking at her palace below. Everdark, her jet black horse, grazed beside her. Narcissa had decisions to make.  
  
"Hey kiddo," murmured Puck softly.  
  
"You scared me," claimed Narcissa, although she did not look at all startled by his intrusion. She glanced up at her best friend. He was staring off into the distance, meditating. The young queen thought of their first meeting, immediately after her fiftieth birthday, when she had her debut at royal court. His jokes, together with his smooth attitude and his shocking white-blond hair, had terrified her, but he quickly won her over. As her father's most trusted counselor, the friendship was quite inevitable.  
  
She studied his profile now. He still had the shocking white hair but his jokes and attitude no longer surprised her. Finally, he turned his liquid brown eyes to her. "Have you decided who the lucky groom will be?" he questioned with a sudden smile, although his eyes held no happiness.  
  
Narcissa sighed, oblivious to his expression, "I suppose it's to be Ion. For Jareth will surely ask for my sister's hand and of course, I would never hold you to this ridiculous wedding promise. You were always meant to be a bachelor, eh Puck?" She tried to laugh, but felt a knot in her stomach.  
  
They gazed at one another for a few minutes in uncomfortable silence, neither one voicing their thoughts. Eventually, Puck shifted his weight in the saddle, urging the horse forward. "Apparently, I am," was all he said before started down the hill.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sarah found her little sister in the stables a couple hours later.  
  
"Hi," she stated shortly. Despite her elation of being with Jareth, the princess was less than pleased with her sister. Jareth did not love Narcissa, but there had been two people in the garden that day.  
  
The young queen did not notice her sister's attitude. "Hello," came the dull reply.  
  
Sarah frowned and sisterly instincts took over, "What's wrong, 'Cissa?"  
  
"I'm getting married, Sarah."  
  
"Well, I'm aware of that… isn't that what this entire party has been about?"  
  
Narcissa sighed and was on the verge of telling Sarah her woes, but checked herself. So what if she had to get married? She did it once and it turned out fairly well, there was no reason she should not be happy with Ion.  
  
"Nothing's wrong, sis. I just have to go get ready for tonight's announcement."  
  
Sarah watched her sibling walk out of the stables dejectedly. Her own anger was forgotten and worry replaced it. The poor girl had some issues to deal with before this evening.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Narcissa stood before her guests in a royal purple gown trimmed with gold. No one was supposed to know anything about the last few days, except for Laeli's reappearance. So naturally, the entire story was the hottest topic of the night among mortal and fae guests alike.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen," the room immediately began to quiet down. After all, the second hottest topic of discussion was Narcissa's future husband. "I would like to introduce the three top competitors in the race for my hand. King Jareth, King Ion and Lord Puck." Applause echoed through the hall as Jareth and Ion stepped forward. Puck was nowhere in sight. The whispering resumed.  
  
"My illustrious queen," called Jareth, "it appears that my Lord Puck is a bit late but it is no matter. Ion and I have discussed matters at length and we wish to announce that we withdraw from your competition, in light of the fact that we both have found ladies we wish to wed, with your permission." There was a collective intake of breath.  
  
"Really, Your Majesty? And who are these fortunate women?" the queen responded.  
  
"I, myself, wish to marry your sister, Laeli," Jareth smiled, "although I am sure that is no surprise."  
  
The queen smiled broadly in return as Sarah (as she always would be known by those close to her) moved next to Jareth. She had liked Sarah's love, but he really was not her type. "I consent, my dear Jareth. Just don't hide her away. I want to see my nephews and nieces!" Sarah blushed as the King bowed his assent. "And you, King Ion, I am quite in the dark about your lady love."  
  
"Ah, yes, Your Majesty, well… ever since I heard her play the piano that day… I… uh…" the young man was flustered. People were giggling until he burst out, "I wish to marry your daughter, Giselle!"  
  
Silence. "My youngest daughter…" Narcissa whispered. Her voice carried through the hall, the acoustics picking up every word. She looked to Giselle and noted with amazement, that although she was nervous she was… happy. Of her three children, no one had been closer to Thor than Giselle. He had looked upon her as his little pet. She had never recovered from his death, and Narcissa's wedding plans had thrown her into deeper melancholy. To see her glowing like this, the young queen realized that her daughter would be happy. A fine marriage really. He was Apollo's son and a powerful mortal king. Not for long of course; he would be given the gift of immortality as part of the dowry. Narcissa herself had nothing against him, she had hoped her daughters would marry men such as Ion; she just had not expected it so soon. "Very well," she started slowly, "I will give you my daughter. After a nice, long engagement, there will be a wedding." Narcissa emphasized "long".  
  
Ion beamed. Giselle tucked herself under his arm in happiness as Apollo came up the pair. Father and son regarded one another for a moment while everyone held their breath; the fae society knew about Creusa's accusations against her son's father, although many fae did not believe it. Finally, Apollo embraced his long estranged child. Cheers erupted throughout the hall and Narcissa grinned.  
  
Eventually, she cleared her throat, resuming the role of a queen when she realized what Ion and Jareth's withdrawal meant. She would marry Puck. Joy swept through her; even the shock of discovering her daughter in love with her former suitor was dulled in the light of this revelation. The emotions which she had felt the presence of on top of the hill now immersed her and Narcissa could sort them out into one simple thought: she loved Puck.  
  
Smiling, she looked up. Everyone was staring at her. "Oh, excuse me," she stammered, uncharacteristic of her usual gracious manner, "it has just occurred to me that…"  
  
The doors flew open and guests screamed. Narcissa paled visibly until she saw the lone figure come in. Puck. Of course. "Always liked to make an entrance," she muttered to herself. Despite her newfound love for him, annoyance took over. She narrowed her eyes at him as he descended the stairs and would have given him a harsh reprimand if the fae had not fallen prostrate at her feet. He looked disheveled to say the least, and he was almost certainly wearing the same clothes he had slept in. He lifted his face to her.  
  
"Please… Narcissa," he began, "I know that you have chosen Ion."  
  
"Puck…"  
  
"No!" he shouted forcefully, "Let me finish. I know you have chosen another suitor but I wanted to say this before I left your presence forever. Because I would not have been able to bear it again. First Thor, now Ion. Remember when I did not attend your wedding? You threatened to never see me again, and you almost didn't. I almost did not return from the business trip I had forced myself to go on… You see, I didn't want to see you wed another man. Because, I love you. I cannot bear to live without you. I am your best friend and over the years, for me, it has become…" he stopped. The trickster had just realized that his queen's daughter was hanging on the arm of an amused King Ion. Everyone in the room was smiling at him, either in pity or mockery.  
  
"Puck, you foolish creature," murmured Narcissa above him. She too wore a smile, of pure love and happiness, "Ion is marrying Giselle and Jareth is marrying Laeli. You are my betrothed. And I would not have it any other way. For I do love you, despite your obvious lack of observational skills and bad timing." She laughed as Puck's bewildered look became one matching her own. Dropping all dignified graces, the two kissed in front of hundreds of guests. It was something they would be talking about for years to come.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Not as long as I had thought it would be. On to the epilogue… 


	24. A Divine Beginning

*Dance of joy* Last part! All usual disclaimers apply… please R/R!  
  
A few loose ends are tied up here… a few things are left open… for a possible sequel… providing I get enough reaction.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Epilogue:  
  
"Ugh… I feel awful…" sniffed Narcissa.  
  
"It's your own fault, Sis," Sarah responded gently.  
  
"I know… But you would think the Fates would allow more time before I got pregnant. I've done this twice. I have three children. It's not really necessary again."  
  
Sarah sighed and smiled. It had been only a year since Narcissa and Puck got married. They were very happy together and Puck had been overjoyed at Narcissa's news. After being the godfather to her twins, now his step- children, he had always wanted a child of his own.  
  
"And you, Sarah, when are you going to provide Jareth with an heir?"  
  
The princess laughed, "I don't think Jareth is worried about that, 'Cissa. Besides, I think we should at least get married first!" Sarah and Jareth had decided to wait before becoming husband and wife. After all, they had not seen each other in two hundred years. Sarah still lived in Narcissa's castle, against the wishes of Jareth (and quite in accordance with Oberon's).  
  
"Hmm," mused the young queen. Narcissa was still the apparent heir -- and therefore still the queen -- to her own father's throne. Sarah had never demanded her birthright, and the family had decided to leave the matter alone until the weddings and births were in the past. Another five years at the least, considering Narcissa had put her foot down about Giselle. The girl was not to be wed until she had mastered the magical arts; an indefinite amount of time. Ion would also be learning to control his inherent trait of magical ability, from Apollo himself; the fae's way of making up for centuries of separation. "Well, I guess I just want Puck to have a friend in fatherhood."  
  
The subject of their conversation came in at that moment. After kissing his wife a good morning and greeting Sarah, Puck went to the books on the shelves. "What are you looking for, husband?" called Narcissa. She had never been the 'sweetie' type of person, but she loved calling the Trickster her husband; even after a year it was surreal that they had come together to form such a great match.  
  
"Oh nothing, just something to read, my love." Puck was a powerful king now, the joint heir to the Fae throne and still Oberon's advisor.  
  
"Watch," whispered Narcissa, "he'll go to either a book on parenting or a book of baby names." The sisters began to giggle, imagining the trickster as a devoted father.  
  
Puck stopped and rolled his eyes at the women. "Females…" he muttered.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hades and his wife reclined in sofas in their dark parlor. Persephone read a book aloud to her love: Dante's Divine Comedy. It amused Hades to hear how mortals perceived his realm. While the two laughed in the ebony- colored palace, a vault in the dungeons held an important object that was rattling in rage.  
  
The servants of the palace refused to go near it. The small crystal held thousands of angry phantoms but that was not what scared the domestics. For they heard a single voice crying out of the thousands. It called for death, revenge and escape.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Did you like it? It's done… unless you all want a sequel. Anyway, R/R!  
  
By the way, MANY MANY thanks go to Baloo… my wonderful beta reader who has helped make this story into a coherent piece of fanfiction. And also thanks to my many reviewers! I love you all! 


End file.
